SHIM I 



CAPTIVITY 

OP 

TWO RUSSIAN PRINCESSES 

IX THE CAUCASUS: 

INCLUDING 

A SEVEN MONTHS' RESIDENCE 

IN 

SHAMIL'S SERAGLIO. 

OOMMTTiaCATED BY THEMSELVES^ 
AND TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL RUSSIAN 

BY H. SUTHERLAND EDWARDS. 

WITH AN ACTHE>"IIC I, 

POETBAIT OJF BHAMIt, A PLA1S" Or HIS HOUSE, AXE 
A HAP OF HIS TEBBITOBY, 



LONDON : 

SMITH, ELDER, AND CO., 65, CORNHILL. 
1857. 



\ 



London 
Fiinted by Spottiswoode & Co. 
New-street Square. 



/ 



PREFACE. 



During the late war, Shamil, in answer to a direct 
application from the Sultan, confessed his inability 
to bring any large force into the field against the 
Russians ; and it was probably in return for his un- 
availing protestations of goodwill, that Abdul-Medjid 
conferred upon the mountain-chief the high-sounding 
but meaningless title of Viceroy of Georgia. No one 
could have felt the irony of this more keenly than 
Shamil himself, who was aware that he might as well 
have been named Grovernor-Greneral of Moscow. 
Nevertheless, some months before the emissaries of the 
Sultan arrived he appears to have been very willing to 
profit by the first opportunity to injure his constant foe; 
and soon after the commencement of hostilities with 
Turkey, when a considerable portion of the troops, 
forming the ordinary army of the Caucasus, had 
marched towards Kars, he descended, with a large 

A 2 



iv PREFACE. 

body of mountaineers, into the plains of Georgia, 
and carried off two Princesses, members of the Geor- 
gian royal family. These ladies, with their children 
and attendants, remained in captivity for upwards of 
eight months. They were then set at liberty, in con- 
sideration of an enormous ransom, and the return of 
Shamil's son, who, many years previously, had been 
given up to the Eussians as a hostage, and who, at the 
period of the mountaineers' descent into Georgia, was 
serving: as a cornet in one of the regiments of the Im- 
perial Guard. 

The Princess Anna Chavchavadzey and her sister the 
Princess Varvara Orbeliani, independently of their rank 
in Georgia, had occupied distinguished positions at the 
Eussian court as ladies of honour to the Empress ; so that 
no ordinary excitement was produced among the aristo- 
cracy of Eussia by the news of their captivity. That 
they had been cruelly treated was too probable, but as 
a severe censorship was exercised over their letters by 
Shamil, through his interpreters, the Princesses had 
been obliged to confine all their communications to one 
subject, that of the ransom. Accordingly, when the 
captives were at length set at liberty, and it was known 
that they had lived many months in ShamiPs own house, 
the interest felt in their adventures was unbounded. 



PREFACE. 



V 



To satisfy this very natural curiosity, the Princesses 
communicated every particular of the attack upon their 
chateau, their journey through the mountains, and their 
residence in Shamil's seraglio, to M. Verderevsky, (editor 
of the "Kavkas," or " Caucasus," the principal journal 
of Tiflis,) who, in the summer of 1856, published a full 
account of the highly dramatic events in which they 
had been such unwilling actors. But it is not for its 
dramatic interest alone that M. Verderevsky's book is 
worth reading. Its particular value consists in the 
light it throws upon the condition of the territory at the 
foot of the Caucasus, the degree of civilisation existing 
among the tribes governed by Shamil, and especially 
on the character and habits of Shamil himself. Xothing 
so complete, and above all, so authentic, has ever 
appeared on the subject of the Caucasian mountaineers 
and their mysterious leader: and in following the 
author through his interesting narrative, we shall meet 
with scenes, characters, and manners, all thoroughly 
new. 

The present work is founded upon M. Verderevsky's 
narrative, which has been followed faithfully in every 
particular, though sometimes a sentence, or even a page, 
may be found in the original, which it has been thought 
advisable to condense in the translation. M. Verderev- 



PREFACE. 



sky's opening chapters, for instance, which are devoted to 
the invasion of Kahetia, and to the effect produced in Tiflis 
by the news, are so long that in an unabridged transla- 
tion they would probably have appeared tedious to 
English readers ; here, in the English version, an en- 
deavour has been made to tell the same story in fewer 
words. But by far the greater portion of the book has 
been translated, if not word for word, at all events 
phrase by phrase, and wherever dialogue occurs, the 
rendering is strictly literal. No fact has been omitted, 
and we need scarcely say that nothing whatever has 
been added, with the exception of a few foot-notes, 
which here and there appeared indispensable. 

With regard to the most important male personage who 
figures in M. Verderevsky's narrative, it is surprising, 
when we consider how much has been written about 
ShaniiL, to find how little is known of him personally. 
His English and German biographers, while expressing 
in general terms their high admiration of his virtues, at 
the same time state that he, with his own hands, beat 
his mother to death : that he maintains his dignity with 
the Murids by deluding them into the belief that he 
carries on a regular correspondence with the Sultan of 
Turkey and the Pacha of Egypt ; that he pretends to 
have periodical interviews with Allah, and that he is in 



PREFACE. 



the habit of announcing that Mahomet has appeared 
to him in the form of a dove, The truth is, we have 
derived nearly all our information about Shamil, includ- 
ing even the ordinary orthography of his name, from the 
Germans, who, in their turn, have taken most of their 
facts from the Eussians ; with the exception of the ac- 
counts of his apocryphal victories, which are obtained 
for the most part from the Constantinople Journal. It 
is this coupling of Eussian facts with German enthu- 
siasm, that produces the strange contradictions in which 
all the English biographies of the Caucasian Chief 
abound, now representing him as a barbarous marauder 
and a religious impostor, and again as a patriot-hero, 
fighting only for the liberties of his country. 

It will be observed, that the Princesses give Shamil a 
far higher character than his panegyrists in England, 
France, and Germany have ever ventured to claim for 
him. Yet these ladies had to thank Shamil for the 
destruction of their property, for a painful and pro- 
longed captivity, and, in the case of the Princess 
Chavchavadzey, for the loss of a darling child. 

There is another point to which we wish to call 
attention in favour of the truthfulness and good faith 
which distinguish M. Verderevsky's performance. Soon 
after the Princesses' return from captivity, a Prussian 



viii 



PREFACE. 



gentleman, who was serving as an officer in the Russian 
army of the Caucasus, published a short account of the 
very incidents which the editor of the (: Kavkas v was 
afterwards enabled to relate at length. Now, if the 
Eussian author had been unduly prejudiced against 
Shamil and his mountaineers, he would not have taken 
the trouble to contradict several statements to their 
discredit, which the German writer had put forth : yet 
M. Verderevsky has done this most satisfactorily. 

The author of A Visit to Schamyl* reminds us of 
those Germans TUL Herzen speaks of, who insist on 
being more Eussian than the Eussians themselves. Thus, 
in his uncompromising hatred for the mountaineers, 
he makes the Princess Chavehavadzey say of them f , 
se They are not human beings, they are wild beasts. 
They have not one sentiment in common with us, and 
to speak to them is like speaking to a tree." u The 
Princesses," replies M. Verderevsky, (: do not appear to 
have said anything of the kind. The mountaineers 
are human beings and have human sentiments, but they 
happen not to be civilised." 

The Prussian author says that ShamiFs people " held 
daggers over the Princesses* heads to force them to 

* " Eiu Besuch bei SehamyL Brief eines Prenssen." Berlin. 

f We Translate from the Russian version published in the Kavkas/' 



I 



PREFACE. 



ix 



write/' that u frequently they wrote as many as fifteen 
letters before one would satisfy their jailer" and that 
they were " ordered to say they had everything they 
desired, and to praise the manner in which they were 
treated." " There is nothing," says M. Verderevsky, 
" about daggers, nor about fifteen letters, in the Prin- 
cesses' narrative, nor was there any 6 jailer' in the 
matter." 

The Prussian author states that, during the journey 
through the mountains, " the Princess Chavchavadzey 
was obliged to climb up a tree, round which the 
mountaineers placed themselves on the ground, so as 
to keep her safe." The Princesses themselves knew 
nothing of this. 

To mention less important errors by the same author, 
the German writer makes Shamil fifty-five, whereas in 
1856 he was only fifty; and he calls Djemmal-Eddin, 
Shamil's eldest son, the heir, whereas his younger 
brother Kazi-Machmat was proclaimed in his stead, 
while Djemmal-Eddin was still in Russia. 

With regard to the dates, it must be stated that the 
Russian style has been preserved throughout. 



EL S. E. 



CONTENTS. 



PART L 

CHAPTER I 

The last King of Georgia. — The Lesghian Cordon. — The Family at 
Tsenondahl ...... Page 1 

CHAPTER il 

Shamil on the Frontier. — The Outposts attacked. — The Repulse fi om 
Shildy. — Danger at Tsenondahl. — Plunder from the Chateau. — An 
Ambuscade. — Two Georgian Officers . . . .8 

CHAPTER III. 

Plans of Defence. — A Stranger at Tsenondahl. — The Stranger's 
Signal. — Approach of the Marauders, — The Capture, — The 
"Khancha" . . . . . . .23 



CHAPTER IV. 

Robbing a Baby. — A Governess in Difficulties. — Madame Drancey's 
Costume. — A polite Chechnian. — - Lydia restored. — Departure for the 
Mountains. — An inquisitive Mountaineer, — A General's Daughter. 
= The Surprise. — Death of Lydia . . . .34 



xii 



CONTEXTS. 



CHAPTER V. 

Through the Wood. — Madame Drancev in strange Company, — A 
Family of Georgians. — The Princess Nina's Admirer. — A bad 
Night. — Fried Pony. — SharmTs Camp . . . Page 54 

CHAPTER VL 

Caucasian Roughs. — Georgian Improvisations. — A little Orphan, 
— Shamil's Band. — Stationery in the Caucasus. — The Captives' 
Toilet ........ 69 



CHAPTER VH. 

Shamil's Passport System. — Lesghian Nurses. — The Marauders at 
Prayer. — In a Cow-shed. — A Mountain Breakfast. — Children in the 
Caucasus. — A damp Bed. — Hospitality at Dido . .81 

CHAPTER VIII. 

A Night with the Bees. — The benevolent Moulla. — Disappearance of 
a Horse. — An affectionate Reception. — The House of the Cheese. — 
A Money-lender in the Mountains . . . .97 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Snobs of Chechni. — Fraternity among the Tribes. — An old Hag 

— A Mountain Road, — The lost Child. — Proposed Separation 110 

CHAPTER X. 

The Great Aoui. — The benevolent Moulla again. — A Cobbler in 
Chechni. — A forlorn Hope. — A Mountain Thief. — News from Home. 

— Madame Drancev Drinks ..... 122 



CONTENTS, 



xiii 



PAET II. 
CHAPTEE L 

Shaniil at Home. — His Wives. — His French Confectioner. — A nice 
Breakfast. — A Visit from Shamil. — His Daughters. — His House- 
hold. — The Seraglio ..... Page 137 

CHAPTEE II. 

A Chechnian Lady-Doctor. — The two Wives in Chief. — A Parcel 
from Home. — Traduttore Traditore. — Shouanette's Cousins. — The 
three Eivals . . . . . . . 1 52 

CHAPTEE III. 

The Wife and the Housekeeper. — Zaidette indisposed. — Queen Victoria's 
Wealth. — Zaidette indignant. — The young Wife . .164 

CHAPTEE IV. 

Arrival of Kazi-Machmat. — Messengers from Home. — An Addition 
to the Family. — Naming the Child. — A Massacre in the Seraglio. 
— Nina the Unclean. — Shamil's Eussian Son . . .174 



CHAPTEE V. 

Ingenious Project. — A Visit to the Aoul. — A Eussian Attack. — 
Accommodation for the Winter. — Hadjio's Departure. — Machmat- 
Shabi in Mischief. — The Eussian Deserter. — An Interview with 
Oscar . . . . - . . .188 

CHAPTEE VI. 

Shamil's Family Troubles. — A mysterious Visitor. — The Viceroyalty 
of Georgia. — An Earthquake. — Aminette asserts herself. — Aminette 
insurgent . . . . . . .207 



xiv 



COXTENTS. 



CH APTER VII. 

Shouanette's Reminiscences. — A Captive in Despair. — Infidelity of 
Selim. — A Wedding in the Seraglio. — A Tartar Governess Page 219 

CHAPTER Yin. 

ShamiPs Threats. — The Princess and Kazi-Machrnat. — Letter to the 
Prince. — A delicate Proposition. — Djemmal-Eddin the Elder. — The 
Song of the Murids. — A generous Mountaineer . . 230 

CHAPTER IX. 

Kazi-Machmat's Wife. — Family Treasures. — Mahometan Modesty. — 
A Caucasian Lady. — The last Evening . . .246 

CHAPTER X. 

The Departure. — A Captive detained. — An agreeable Meeting. — Pre- 
cautions. — Russian Deserters ..... 257 



PAET III. 
CHAPTER I. 

The Negotiations. — First Proposition. — First Counter- proposition. — 
Letter from Bariatinsky. — Letter to General Read. —Answer of 
Djemmal-Eddin . . . . • .267 

CHAPTER H. 

The Russian Trans -Caucasians. — Ker-Effendi the Inseparable. — The 
Siege of Sebastopol. — Sharail in Action. — GramofT at Vedenno. — 
Gramoff and the Council. — Shamir s Defences. — What is a Million ? 
—A false Interpreter. — The Sinews of War.— Gramoff's Return 278 



CONTENTS. 



XV 



CHAPTER III. 

MouraviefT in the Caucasus. — Djemmal-Eddin. — The Recognition.— 
Increased Demands ..... Page 300 



CHAPTER IV. 

The Prince indignant. — Warmth of Djernmal-Eddin. — Shamil and the 
Naibs. — Counting out the Money. — Eresh Messengers . 308 

CHAPTER V. 

A sleepless Night. — Shamil's Hatred of Orbeliani. — Shamil on Russian 
Generals. — Death of the Emperor Nicolas . . .318 

CHAPTER VI. 

" A Visit to Shamil." — The Exchange. — Baron Nicolai's Sword 326 



EPILOGUE, 

A Change of Costume. — Djemmal Eddin's Parewell. — Testimonial to 
GramofT. — Letters to the Emperor. — The Captives at Church.— 
Russia's Protection of Georgia. — Djemmal-Eddin in the Cau- 
casus ........ 333 



CAPTIVITY OF RUSSIAN PRINCESSES 

THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAPTER L 

The first news of the descent of the Lesghians into 
Kahetia was received in Tiflis on the 18th July, 1854, 
The intelligence caused the greatest astonishment ; for 
the mountaineers had hitherto never dared to cross the 
Alazan. But all other feelings gave place to one of in- 
dignation and pity when it was heard that the Princess 
Chavchavadzey and the whole of her family, including 
her sister-in-law the Princess Orbeliani, had been carried 
off by the marauders. For some time no one knew the 
details of the affair, and therefore no one could come to 
any conclusion as to the proper measures for rescuing 
the captives. However, two officers in the Russian ser- 
vice, one a captain, the other a colonel in the imperial 
guard, and both moving in the highest society of Tiflis, 
offered, at the risk of their own liberty, to proceed at 
once to Shamil's residence in the mountains, and ascer- 
tain by what means the liberation of the Princesses 

B 



2 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



could be effected. General Bead*, who commanded the 
army in the Caucasus, and was also governor of the Cau- 
casian and Trans-Caucasian provinces, refused to sanction 
this project, which certainly was not calculated to lead 
to any favourable result. 

The first thing necessary was to obtain positive infor- 
mation respecting the position of the Princesses ; but in 
the meanwhile their father, the Prince of Georgia, had 
to be apprised of the misfortune which had befallen 
them, and accordingly the general lost no time in de- 
spatching the following letter to him at Moscow. 

" It has pleased heaven to allow the mountaineers, in 
spite of all possible human foresight, to make a successful 
incursion into Kahetia ; and your daughters and grand- 
children have been the first victims of their marauding 
expedition. 

" Such a calamity is overwhelming, as will also be the 
grief of your highness on receiving this information. I 
consider it my duty to express to you my sincere con- 
dolence for the great loss you have sustained ; but, at the 
same time, I cannot but console myself with the hope 
that all chance of obtaining the liberation of your 
unhappy family from the hands of these brigands has not 
yet been lost. Providence, which has sent this affliction 
upon your family, and through them upon ourselves, 
will, at the same time, not forget to send us the means 
of alleviating their misfortunes." f 

* This General afterwards lost his life in the Crimea. 

f The news of the Princesses' captivity did not reach the Prince 
alive. He died four days before General Read's despatch arrived in 
Moscow. 



THE LAST KINGl OF GEORGIA. 



3 



Tiflis, we have said, was thrown into a state of pro- 
found agitation by the news of the calamity which had 
befallen the Princesses Chavchavadzey and Orbeliani ; 
and yet Tiflis, being in the vicinity of perpetual warfare, 
is in the habit of receiving intelligence which is not only 
of the most sanguinary character, but which also con- 
cerns personally a large number of its inhabitants. 
What caused such universal dismay, when the captivity 
of the Princesses was made known, was the conviction 
that these helpless ladies and their children, of whom 
there were six, would be subjected to every kind of suf- 
fering and degradation. Every one knew that not only 
were the mountaineers of the Caucasus not Christians, 
but that they had on several occasions proved them- 
selves incapable of the slightest compassion for the mis- 
fortunes of those who had fallen into their hands. 

There were also reasons of a less universal character 
which caused the inhabitants of Tiflis to take a special 
interest in the fate of the captives. The Princesses were 
granddaughters of George XIII., the last sovereign of 
Georgia*; and the names of Orbeliani and Chavchav- 
adzey were also known and beloved in connection with 
the history of the province. The sympathy which was 
felt throughout Tiflis for the fate of the two Princesses 
was increased, in the case of the Princess Orbeliani, by 
the knowledge that only six months previously she had 

* George XIII., whose kingdom had been overrun during his life- 
time alternately by the Turks and Persians, bequeathed it on his death- 
bed to the Emperor Paul. Georgia, which has been a Christian country 
since the fourth century, had long been the prey of the neighbouring 
Mahometan nations and tribes, who plundered it without mercy. 

B 2 



4 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



lost her husband and her eldest child. The former, a- 
general in the Russian army, had been killed in an 
action with the Lesghians ; the latter, a little boy, only 
a few months old, had died from illness about the same 
time ; and the father and son were buried together.* 

But the position of both sisters excited not only the 
commiseration of Tiflis and Georgia, but of all Russia, — 
a fact of which the writer holds in his possession abundant 
evidence, in the numerous letters sent from all parts of 
the empire to the office of the KavJcas newspaper (Tiflis), 
to inquire after the fate of the Princesses., 

In the meanwhile Prince David Chavchavdzey had 
in a few days lost all his family, and nearly all his 
fortune. The Prince's magnificent estate of Tsenondahl, 
which is situated in Kahetia (a province which had 
always been regarded as the brightest gem in the crown 
of the Georgian kings), thanks to its sheltered posi- 
tion, the mildness of its climate, and the richness of its 
soil, boasts the finest fruit-gardens in all Georgia, 
The wines of Kahetia are celebrated, and the land is 
generally so fertile that the peasants who cultivate it 
are prosperous and even rich. Tsenondah], the most 
beautiful estate in the province, is seven verstsf from 
Telaff, and extends along the banks of a river which 
fails into the Alazan. The balcony of the chateau of 
Tsenondahl commands a beautiful view of the valley of 

* It is a remarkable fact, that Prince Orbeliard was himself a pri- 
soner of Shamil's for eight months in 1842. His father was for some 
time a prisoner with the Persians ; and this fate would almost appear to 
be an hereditary misfortune in the family. 

f Nearly five miles. 



THE LESGHUlN CORDON. 



5 



the Alazan with its rich gardens, and beyond it the 
snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus rising one above the 
other in a series of steps towards heaven. Tsenondahl 
was celebrated for its hospitality, and was well known 
to all the illustrious persons who had visited the Cau- 
casus, while the picturesqueness and grandeur of its 
scenery have been celebrated by one of our national 
poets. 

But Tsenondahl is like a beautiful estate at the foot 
of Vesuvius, being constantly exposed to the incursions 
of the marauders. The Kahetians are only separated 
by one range of heights from the Lesghians, their 
ancient and irreconcilable enemies, from whose secret 
and unexpected attacks they have suffered from time 
immemorial. In the present day the Kahetians are 
always, to a certain degree, prepared for these plunder- 
ing expeditions, and never go about unarmed. But in 
spite of this the enemy sometimes make their appear- 
ance so unexpectedly, or in such force, that their success 
is certain. Even the regular army which forms the 
Lesghian cordon, as it is called, does not suffice. For a 
distance of 160 versts* the soldiers occupy the most 
advantageous posts from which to issue rapidly and 
check the ingress of marauders into Kahetia. But these 
posts are established at such distant intervals along the 
line, that many roads are left open, along which light 
bodies of mountaineers can easily pass. Accordingly it 
sometimes, though rarely, happens that the Lesghians 
traverse the cordon, in which case the soldiers endea- 



* One hundred and seven miles. 
B 3 



6 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



vour to intercept their return, and make them pay for 
their exploit. 

This was precisely what occurred in 1854. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey only arrived at her 
estate about two weeks before the Lesghians made their 
descent. She had invited her sister, who was still suffer- 
ing acutely from her two recent bereavements, to pass the 
summer with her at Tsenondahl : and the Princess Orbe- 
liani accepting her invitation, brought with her her only 
surviving child, a little boy only six months old, in 
whom all the affection of the young widow and mother 
were now concentrated, and her niece the Princess Nina 
Baratoff, a beautiful girl of eighteen. 

Here we may as well mention the names of all the 
inhabitants of Tsenondahl, every one of whom suffered 
more or less from the incursion of the Lesghians. 
They were as follows : — 

First, the proprietor of the estate, Prince David 
Alexandrovitch Chavchavadzey, thirty-seven years of 
age, lieutenant-colonel in the army, and aide-de-camp 
to the general commanding the corps cTarmee of the 
Caucasus ; 

His wife the Princess Anna Elinichna, Princess of 
Georgia in her own right, and formerly lady of honour 
to the Empress, twenty-eight years of age ; 

Prince David's sister Xina Alexandrovna Grribaie- 
dovna* widow of our celebrated poet : 

* The Russian family names have masculine and feminine termina- 
tions. This lady's husband was Gribaiedoff, the author of " Gore ot 
Ouma" (Grief from Wit), one of the best comedies in the Russian lan- 



THE FAMILY AT TSENONDAHL. 



7 



Prince David's aunt the Princess Tinia Orbeliani, 
widow of Prince Greorge Orbeliani, and cousin to Prince 
David's father the late Prince Alexander Chavchavad- 
zey, an old woman seventy-four years of age ; 

The children of Prince David and Anna Elinichna, 
— Salonie, a little girl six years old, Marie five years 
old, Elena four years old, Tamara three years old, a 
little boy Alexander five years old, Lydia a baby of 
only four months. 

The above were the ordinary inmates of Tsenondahl ; 
but Nina Alexandra Gribaiedovna, and Elena, the 
Princess Chavchavadzey's third child, were absent on a 
visit to the Princess of Mingrelia. On the other hand, 
we have said that there were visitors at the chateau. 
These consisted of the Princess Orbeliani *, aged twenty- 
six, with her little boy and her niece the Princess Nina 
Baratoff already mentioned, and Madame Drancey the 
governess of the Princess Chavchavadzey's children. 
This lady had been only eighteen days in Tsenondahl, 
and had not left France more than six months. 

Among the other visitors we must not forget to 
mention Ensign Gamgrelidzey, the Prince's steward, 
and his wife Daredjana ; a retired captain named Ach- 
verdoff ; a nurse ninety-seven years old, who had out- 
lived three generations of the Chavchavadzeys ; twelve 
female servants, and a little boy. 

guage. In consideration of his high literary merit, he was appointed 
Minister Plenipotentiary to the court of Persia, and at Teheran was 
assassinated by the populace. The details of this affair are giyen by 
Lady Sheil in her recent work on Persia, j 

* The Princess Orbeliani had also been appointed one of the Empress's 
ladies of honour. 

B 4 



8 



CAPTIVITY EN TEE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. II. 

Prince Dayid Chayckayadzey had lately arrived in 
Kahetia to take the command of the local militia. The 
soldiers were billeted in different villages; but in case 
of need, they had orders to assemble and place them- 
selves under his command. During the month of June 
the militia quitted the right bank of the Alazan, on 
which Tsenondahl stood, and crossed over to the side 
next the mountains. Up to the end of the month 
there was no 'sign of danger, and the Prince continued 
to pass the greater part of his time on his own estates. 
But on the 30th he received a message from the 
officer commanding the left of the line of forts com- 
posing the Lesghian cordon, to the effect that Shamil 
had arrived with a detachment of 15,000 men at Ka- 
raty (an aoid or village at the top of the mountains, 
from which the enemy could direct themselves upon 
any point), and that it was necessary, by way of pre- 
caution, to assemble the militia and concentrate it at 
Hando, about two miles in advance of Shildy on the 
left bank of the Alazan. 

On that very day Prince David Chavchavadzey's 
adjutant, Prince Eoman Chavchavadzey was de- 
spatched to call out the militia; and the day follow- 



SHAMIL ON THE FRONTIER. 



9 



ing, Prince Chavchavadzey himself set off for Hando, 
leaving his family in fancied security at his estate. 
No measures were taken for the protection of Tsenon- 
dahl, on the ground that since the year 18 OCX, when 
Omar Khan of Avaria, at the head of 20,000 Lesghians, 
marched within fifty versts* of Tiflis before he was 
defeated, there had been no instance of the enemy 
crossing the Alazan. Almost every year the family at 
Tsenondahl saw flames on the left bank ; but they had 
never any fears for their own personal safety, as they 
were aware that at the slightest sign of danger they 
could always obtain help. In their vicinity was a bat- 
talion of infantry of the line, and Telaff, the district 
town, was seven versts distant ; so that in default of 
assistance, they could have no trouble in finding a safe 
asylum. These considerations, apparently well founded, 
prevented the family from entertaining any notion 
of danger. 

On the 1st of July, Prince Chavchavadzey arrived at 
Hando, rode round the environs, established ambus- 
cades, and then returned as far as Shildy. This village 
was composed of houses surrounded by gardens, and 
was defended by a small fortress, which was, however, 
old and unprovided with cannon. 

On the 2nd of July, Prince Chavchavadzey, who was 
still at Shildy, had received no notice of the enemy's 
approach. In the afternoon he visited the camp of the 
militia, numbering 440 men, and remained there until 
late in evening. On his return to Shildy he paid a 



* Thirty-three miles. 



10 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



visit to Prince Batieff, who commanded the fortress 
with a garrison of sixty men. 

At midnight, while Prince Chavchavadzey and his host 
were at supper, they were interrupted by a militiaman, 
who had just arrived from the Pohali tower, the most 
advanced point of the Eussian outposts in Kahetia. He 
announced that the tower was already surrounded, and 
that the mountaineers were making rapidly for Shildy. 

On the receipt of this intelligence, Prince Chavchav- 
adzey left Prince Eatieff with his garrison to defend 
the fortress, and himself hurried forward with fifteen 
militiamen to the village of Hando. Here all the 
people were in arms, a state of things which confirmed 
the news brought to Shildy from the Pohali tower. 

Taking into consideration the defenceless state of 
Hando, the Prince was for some time undecided whether 
to await the enemy there or retreat to Shildy, where a 
more effectual resistance could be offered by a small 
body of men. To determine the point, it was necessary 
first to ascertain whether the invaders consisted of an 
ordinary detachment of Lesghians, or whether Shamil 
himself was at their head ; in the latter case it would 
certainly be more prudent to retreat to Shildy. But the 
desired information was not received until half-past two 
in the morning, when some militiamen arrived from 
the Pohali tower with the news that the enemy's cavalry 
were advancing in two parties, of which one was fol- 
lowing the course of the river Chalty, while the other 
was bearing more to the left. The word " cavalry" 
soon relieved the Prince of all indecision. He at once 
knew that Shamil himself must be in the village of 



THE OUTPOSTS ATTACKED* 



11 



Pohali with all his forces ; and in accordance with this 
conviction, he at once recalled his ambush-parties, and 
retreated to Shildy. 

Here he issued orders to the commandant, Prince 
Groorguenidzey, to the effect that the inhabitants should 
place all their families and goods inside the fortress, 
and that he himself should join the militia. Unfor- 
tunately, through the carelessness of the inhabitants, 
the Prince's precautionary measures were not carried 
into execution. 

At the same time Prince David sent a hundred and 
fifty militiamen to strengthen Prince Ratieff's gar- 
rison, while he distributed the remainder of his troops 
in the gardens along the road leading to the fortress, 
and inside some of the houses, in the proportion of 
about ten men to each house. 

The defenders of Shildy remained all night in the 
positions assigned to them; but the expected attack was 
not made, and the only signs of the enemy's proximity 
consisted in signal-guns discharged at intervals from the 
Pohali tower. In this manner the time passed on until 
the next morning. 

On the third of July, at seven o'clock, Shildy was 
attacked; and after a brisk fusilade had been kept 
up for some time in the houses, gardens, and along the 
road, the village burst into flames in several places at 
once. With the exception of an assault on the market- 
place, which was repulsed, the engagement, though it 
lasted until two in the afternoon, was of the most irre- 
gular character. However, at the foot of the hedges, 
walls, and embankments, there were ample proofs of the 



12 



CAPTIVITY IN TEE CAUCASUS, 



victory gained by the defenders.* At two o'clock the 
mountaineers fell back from Shildy to Hando. When 
they retreated^ Prince Chavchavadzey observed that a 
portion of them crossed the river Chalty, with the 
evident intention of attacking the villages of Sabooi 
and Shakriani. The Prince at once imparted his fears 
to the militia, and called for volunteers to undertake 
the defence of the threatened spots. Captain Prince 
Greorgadzey at once stepped out of the line, and was in- 
stantly joined by a hundred and fifty militiamen. The 
proceedings of this small detachment were crowned with 
the most complete success. They pursued the enemy, 
and reached them just as they were about to set fire to 
the outskirts of one of the villages. Being attacked 
when they were in a state of complete disorder, the 
mountaineers took to flight, and did not renew their 
attempt. 

At seven in the evening, Prince Chavchavadzey re- 
ceived support from the commander of the infantry of 
Georgia, Colonel Prince Koubouloff, who arrived with 
two companies of the Mingrelian regiment, and one 
mountain gun; and at eight o'clock he was joined by 

* According to the returns of the Governor of Telaff, the moun- 
taineers left in Shildy, and on the banks of the Alazan, four hundred 
and eighty bodies ; but it appeared from the intelligence gathered by 
Isaac GramorT the interpreter, who afterwards visited Daghestan and 
Chechni, that the loss of the Lesghians in their invasion of Kahetia 
amounted to twelve hundred men. Every Naib, or governor of a pro- 
vince, presented to Shamil a separate report; but no one knew anything 
about their contents. In Daghestan, Chechni, and Avaria, there was 
not a village in which GramorT was not stopped and interrogated as to 
whether such and such mountaineers had not been taken prisoners by 
the Russians. GramofT could only give one answer, that there were 
so prisoners, but that a great number had been killed. 



THE REPULSE FROM SHILBY, 



13 



Lieut. -Col. Prince Toumanoff, with a battalion of the 
Tiflis regirnent, and two mountain guns. The reinforce- 
ments were drawn up in the market-place^ on the left 
side of the fortress. 

At eleven o'clock at night, the enemy attacked the 
six companies, but was soon overpowered. Thus ended 
the sanguinary contest of July 3 ; but among the incidents 
of this day there were several which have not been men- 
tioned, and which deserve especial attention on account 
of their intimate connexion with subsequent events. 

At two o'clock in the afternoon, when the marauders, 
who had just been repulsed, were retreating towards 
Hando, Prince Chavchavadzey, who was still occupied 
in giving directions to the volunteers, wrote a hasty note 
in pencil to his family at Tsenondahl, saying that, 
although Shildy had been attacked, everything was now 
going on well, that the enemy had withdrawn to Hando, 
and consequently that there was no occasion for unea- 
siness. The latter words were underlined. This note 
only reached Tsenondahl by a miracle. The previous 
messengers had been cut to pieces on the road; but this 
one, strangely enough, arrived in safety at the chateau. 
It would have been better for the family at Tsenondahl 
if this communication had also been intercepted. The 
Prince, delighted at the success of the affair at Shildy, 
had hastened to reassure his wife as to his own 
position; but he had not reflected that his words 
were susceptible of a double meaning, and that they 
were calculated to lull all apprehensions on her 
part, before every possibility of danger to herself 
had disappeared. However this may have seemed at 



14 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



the time, the Prince's hurried note had certainly a fatal 
effect in producing the calamity which ensued.* 

In the next chapter, the reader will see what reference 
all the above incidents had to the affair at Tsenondahl ; 
at present, not to break the thread of the narrative, we 
will continue the adventures of the brave defenders of 
Shildy. 

On the 4th of July, at daybreak, the village was 
again attacked. After the fighting had continued 
several hours, one of the inhabitants came to the 
Prince with the information that an immense body of 
horsemen had descended from the mountains, some 
miles below Shildy, had reached the bottom of the 
hill of Kontzhi, and were marching in the direction of 
the Alazan, with the evident intention of crossing at 
the Toghniansky ford. Prince Chavchavadzey was con- 
founded. As yet he knew nothing of their force, and 
he had no time to lose in forming conjectures. He 
summoned Prince Eatieff, and inquired whether he 
could answer for the safety of the fortress, and at the 
same time allow him to detach a portion of the troops 
for the purpose of pursuing the marauders who were 
marching towards the Alazan. Prince Eatieff answered 

* Among other circumstances which led to this calamity, we may 
mention two in particular : first, that the commander of the district of 
Telaif, Prince Andronikoff, by attempting, without success, to pass the 
Alazan, showed the marauders how to ford it with safety, and thus, in 
all probability, emboldened them to cross the river to the side on which 
Tsenondahl and several unprotected villages were situated ; and secondly, 
that the bearer of Prince Chavchavadzey's note, who crossed at a 
different ford, knew nothing of Prince AndronikofF's movements, and 
reported that the banks of the Alazan were tranquil. 



DANGER AT TSENONDAHL. 



15 



with confidence, upon which Prince Chavchavadzey or- 
dered Prince Toumanoff to form his four companies of 
infantry into marching order, and prepare for an attack. 
Unluckily there was no cavalry. When all was ready. 
Prince Chavchavadzey approached the soldiers ; but at 
that very moment the militiaman who had been sent 
the day before to Tsenondahl returned with a note from 
the Princess Orbeliani, in the following words : — 

" I cannot tell how far the reports are correct ; but 
here every one is in a state of terror, and we are alone 
with the children and the servants. All our neighbours, 
the families of Prince Groulbat and Prince Eoman, have 
gone into the woods ; and your peasants, with their fa- 
milies, have also left the village. For God's sake, in- 
form us as soon as possible, whether the danger is so 
great, and whether we need take refuge anywhere." 

The Prince was naturally agitated, but he was still 
not without hope ; for he could scarcely believe that 
there was no one to advise his family to fly to the wood, 
which was only fifty sajens (a hundred and fifty yards) 
from the house, and where they would all have been 
safe.* As for the house itself and the property it con- 
tained, he knew that there was little chance of saving 
either. 

However, without saying a word about the contents 
of the letter, Prince Chavchavadzey ordered the four 
companies to march towards the Alazan ; and himself 
led the column. He had scarcely had time to ride 
from the gardens of Shildy into the plain from which 



* All who fled to the wood were saved. 



16 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



all the right bank of the Alazan is visible, when one of 
the militiamen exclaimed — 
" Look, Prince ! " 

The Prince turned round and saw five or six villages 
in flames, with Tsenondahl among the number. 

He was already too late. The mountaineers had had 
time to cross to the right bank of the Alazan. 

However, he ordered the infantry of the line to follow, 
whi]e he and the militia went on before to the ford. 
But having reached the river, he found it so disturbed 
that to cross it with infantry was impossible. On the 
arrival of the troops of the line, all he could do was to 
order them to fire six volleys by way of announcing 
their presence to the inhabitants on the right bank. 
He little knew that it had long since been deserted. 
During the first few moments of forced inaction on the 
banks of the river which separated him from all those 
he held dear, and who were now, perhaps, suffering all 
the horrors of an attack from the marauders, the Prince 
for the first time in his life suffered his feelings as a 
father and a husband to tempt him from his sense of 
duty as a soldier. 

His sense of duty prompted him to seek the enemy 
and revenge the devastation which had been committed 
on a defenceless territory ; but his feelings as a man 
urged him to follow and attack the particular detach- 
ment which had in all probability carried off his wife 
and children — though any attempt to rescue them 
might have caused their assassination. 

The struggle was great, but fortunately it was not of 
long duration ; the Prince's sense of duty as a soldier 



PLUNDER FROM THE CHATEAU. 



17 



ultimately prevailed. He made the sign of the cross, 
confided his family to Grod, retreated from the ford, 
and waited in ambush for the return of the ma- 
rauders. 

Prince David remained in ambush from twelve until 
five in the afternoon. During that period two or three 
parties of mountaineers were surprised and routed ; but 
unfortunately — or, rather, fortunately — he saw nothing 
of those who had captured his family. The place of 
ambush had been well chosen, and was so situated that, 
before the marauders could be at all aware of its exis- 
tence, it was already too late to escape. 

The Prince was still ignorant of the position of the 
inhabitants of Tsenondahl ; but the real truth soon 
became evident to him. After the destruction of the 
second party of cavalry who stumbled on the ambus- 
cade, the militiamen, according to the ancient custom 
of Gfeorgia, brought the heads of the marauders, and 
the booty found in their bags, to throw at the feet of 
their seigneur and commander. Glancing at the heap 
of plunder before him, the Prince recognised several 
objects belonging to the dining-room, bed-rooms, and 
nursery of the chateau of Tsenondahl. He could not 
utter a word, but, as if still incredulous about a fact 
which no longer admitted of a doubt, he turned silently 
to Oscar, his faithful servant, who had not deserted him 
for a moment. 

Oscar at once understood him, and answered — 

" You know yourself, Prince, where these things were 
taken." 

It was evident that Tsenondahl had been plundered ; 

c 



18 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



but the Prince still ventured to hope that, although the 
marauders had carried off whatever property had been 
left in the house, the helpless women had found some 
one to advise and protect thern, and were at that 
moment in safety. 

At five o'clock in the afternoon Prince Chavchavadzey 
received a message from Prince Eatieff, asking for 
reinforcements ; and he was obliged to abandon the 
ambuscade, and go to his assistance. On his way to 
Shildy, the Prince inquired of the inhabitants which 
route the marauders were likely to take in returning 
to Pohali. He was informed that, in all probability, 
they would pass by the hills of Kontzhi, upon which 
he detached two companies from the force at his dis- 
posal, placed them, together with a couple of guns, 
under the command of Captain Hitrovo, and ordered that 
officer to occupy the hill named, until the main body 
of the marauders returned. He was to attack them as 
far as was possible by surprise, and endeavour to rescue 
any prisoners they might have in their possession. In 
issuing these directions, the Prince was undeniably 
performing his duty as an officer ; but he was at the 
same time imperilling the lives of his family, who, if 
they happened to be in the hands of the mountaineers, 
were sure not to be abandoned alive. 

Captain Hitrovo set off to the hill of Kontzhi ; and 
the Prince returned to Shildy. As soon as the soldiers 
of the latter caught sight of the marauders, they set 
upon them with a shout of defiance, and caused them to 
retreat towards Hando. However, about fifteen Les- 
ghians remained in a church, which they had entered 



AN A3IBUSCADE. 



19 



with a view to plunder.* Ensign Mamacheff was or- 
dered to turn them out. He hurried forward, but was 
shot down on the threshold ; and six militiamen who 
accompanied him were also killed. The Prince, seeing 
the impossibility of ejecting the mountaineers from their 
stronghold without considerable loss, ordered his men 
to surround the church with dry branches, and then set 
fire to them. The greater part of the mountaineers 
perished in the flames. Only four of them left the 
church ; and these were instantly cut to pieces. Thus 
terminated the attack on Shildy. 

At nine in the evening, Prince David received a note 
from Captain Hitrovo, informing him that the enemy, 
returning from Tsenondahl and the neighbouring vil- 
lages with a considerable amount of booty and a large 
number of prisoners, had intended to pass by the foot 
of the hill of Kontzhi, but that he had received them 
with a volley, and had killed several of the moun- 
taineers, besides retaking a few of the prisoners. He 
concluded by asking whether he was to remain in the 
same position. Fearing the Lesghians might return in 
the night and overwhelm Captain Hitrovo's small band, 
the Prince ordered him to return to Shildy. 

The next day some militiamen were sent to the hill 
of Kontzhi to collect the bodies of the slain. Among 
the party were several of Prince David's serfs, who at 
once recognised the corpse of Lydia, his infant daughter. 

* The holy pictures in the Russian churches have costly frames. 
They are frequently, too, adorned with jewels of high value; and 
the drapery of the Saviour, Virgin, and saints is always represented by 
plates of metal, which are sometimes of solid silver, or even gold. 

C 2 



20 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



She bore no trace of a wound ; but a small blue spot 
Avas just visible on her left temple. Without communi- 
cating the dreadful discovery to the Prince, the serfs 
carried the body of the little child to Tsenondahl, and 
had it buried in the church of St. George. Among the 
number of the slain was Daredjana, the wife of Gram- 
grelidzey the steward of Prince Chavchavadzey's estate. 
Her shoulders were pierced with wounds ; and she had 
received two pistol shots in the head. All this was for 
the present kept secret from the Prince ; so that he re- 
mained in a state of suspense which was more painful 
even than the most bitter certainty. The Prince was 
advised to visit Tsenondahl without delay, and was most 
anxious to do so ; but he did not feel justified in leaving 
his regiment until the morning of the 6th, when 
Colonel Koolmann arrived. But by that time he had 
lost all desire to go ; for his adjutant, Prince Roman 
Chavchavadzey, had informed him of the true state of 
affairs. 

On the 8th of June, Prince Chavchavadzey had an 
interview with the commander of the party composing 
the Lesghian cordon, who had just arrived with a com- 
pany of soldiers at Kvarel. The prince gave the com- 
mander an account of what had occurred, and on the 
10th set off on his way to Tiflis. In Telaff he was met 
by his sister's husband, Actual Counsellor of State*, 

* This tchinn or rank corresponds to that of general in the military 
service. The Marquis de Custine and his followers have expressed their 
surprise that in Eussia men who have never served in the army should 
be made colonels and generals. Such is not the case. An actual 
counsellor of state ranks with a general, a counsellor of state with a 



TWO GEORGIAN OFFICERS. 



21 



Baron A. P. Xicolai, and the Deputy Governor of Tifiis 
Colonel Kolubakin, who, three days previously, had 
invited the Prince either to visit him at Telaff, or to 
send word where he was to be found on the other side 
of the Alazan. From Telaff the Prince set off in com- 
pany with Baron Nicolai for Tiflis. 

We must here say a few words about two persons 
who exhibited great courage and devotion during the 
event we have just narrated, namely, Prince Goulbat 
Chavchavadzey, and Ensign Gamgrelidzey, a nobleman 
of Imeritia, who held the office of steward to the Chav- 
chavadzey estates, and whose wife fell by the hands of 
the mountaineers in the affair at the hill of Kontzhi. 
The former, several days before the departure of Prince 
David from Tsenondahl, had set off for the village of 
Moukouzanni, on the right bank of the Alazan, on the 
road from Telaff to Signakh ; the latter had been to 
some other village on business connected with the estates. 
On the 3rd of July, from two opposite points, they were 
both observers of the conflagration at Shildy ; and each 
started, with only five or six volunteers and an almost 
certain prospect of death, to assist the Prince. The 
defenders of Shildy saw Gamgrelidzey fall in with the 
enemy, from whom he nevertheless escaped and then 
galloped on towards Shildy. Having reached the gates, 
his first thought was for the safety of the Prince. He 
removed his hat, and made the sign of the cross three 

colonel, and so on, just as, in our service, a captain in the navy ranks 
with a colonel in the army. The Marquis de Custine, if he had written 
about England, would have said that the lieutenant of a ship was some- 
times promoted to the command of a regiment. 

C 3 



22 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



times, as he discovered him in the midst of his militia, 
Prince (xoulbat arrived in Shildy an hour later. 

The two officers remained with Prince Chavchavadzey 
during the whole day, and on the following morning ac- 
companied him on his march towards the Alazan. Here, 
when it was found impossible to ford the river with in- 
fantry, they crossed, in spite of the Prince's entreaties,, 
with fifteen horsemen, who volunteered for that purpose. 
Having reached the right bank, they hastened towards 
Tsenondahl, which was now in flames. Fortunately for 
them 3 they arrived too late; the place was plundered 
and deserted. They found the chateau burning like a 
candle, with no one near it but a Georgian nurse a 
hundred years of age, who had held four generations of 
the Chavchavadzeys on her knees.* The old woman 
was sitting half naked, with her hair dishevelled, by the 
side of the ruins. She remembered the building of the 
house, as one of the earliest events of her childhood, and 
was now sobbing and yelling forth one of those funeral 
chants which the Georgians are in the habit of impro- 
vising at their interments. 

" David, David/' she was exclaiming, " why are you 
not here to heljD your family ? " She at the same time 
related how the mansion of Tsenondahl, which was now 
in flames, had grown up before her eyes. 

* Marina Gaideli (that is to say, " Marina the nurse ") went to Kussia 
with Prince David's grandfather, Prince Gersevan, who was sent by 
Iracli, King of Georgia, as ambassador to the Empress Catherine II. 
She had nursed Prince Gersevan himself. During his embassy she 
mirsed his son. She was afterwards Prince David's nurse, and finally 
superintended the nursery for Prince David's children. 



PLANS OF DEFENCE. 23 



CHAP. III. 

In the meantime the occurrences at Tsenonclahl were 
as follows. Prince David had just left his estate, on 
the 3rd of July, when the inhabitants of the chateau 
saw the reflection of a fire on the other side of the 
Alazan.* The sight was picturesque, but inspired no 
feeling of danger. f Nevertheless the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey did not neglect to take certain precautions. 

On that very day she directed the Natsvala f 3 or chief 
of the peasants, to take the necessary measures for the 
protection of the village and the chateau. The latter, 
in particular, might have been defended by a very small 
number of men, as it was surrounded by a high stone 
wall, which would have been an insurmountable barrier 
to the Lesghians. 

Either from neglect or timidity, and principally, no 
doubt, because the majority of the able-bodied men had 
joined the militia, not one of the directions issued by 
the Princess was obeyed. 

* The Alazan flows at a distance of ten versts (about seven miles) 
from Tsenonclahl. 

f To adopt the expression of Madame Drancey, " Oetait pittoresque 
et ne nous paraissait nullement menacant" 

\ The Georgian Natsvala performs the same functions as the Russian 
Starosta ; that is to say, he overlooks the peasants, and acts as inter- 
mediary between them and the owner of the estate. 

c 4 



24 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Among the peasants many exhibited the greatest de- 
votion; thus., for instance, the second Natsvala and 
another peasant went to the chateau on the day of the 
thirds with an arba, and begged the Princesses to accom- 
pany them to the wood.* 

" It is our duty to protect you/ 9 they said. " The 
danger is great ; but we can make a place of safety for 
you behind the arbas, and will defend you to the last.*' 

The advice of the peasant was without avail. The 
old Princess Tinia Orbeliani was, above all, incredulous 
of danger, and could not be prevailed upon to retire to 
the woods. As for the Princess Chavchavadzey, though 
she was aware of a certain amount of danger, she could 
scarcely believe that it was imminent, when none of 
her relatives or neighbours had warned her of it, or pro- 
posed measures for a general flight. In the same village 
lived the families of Prince Groulbat and Prince Eoman 
Chavchavadzey ; but they had gone away some days 
before, and Prince Eoman's wife, before starting, had 
sent one of her servants to say that some young men, 
who had just arrived from Telaff, had recommended 
them to leave for that town without delay. The 
Princess Chavchavadzey sent to invite these young men 
to her house, wishing to converse with them personally 
respecting the anticipated danger ; but she received no 
answer to her invitation. During this time the family, 
with the exception of the Princess, were at church, re- 
turning thanks for the repulse of the Lesghians, as 

* The son of one of these peasants, a boy of thirteen, could not be 
persuaded to leave the house, saying that, "if his little prince perished, 
he would perish with him." 



A STRANGER AT TSENONDAHL. 



25 



reported by the priest himself, who had just returned 
from Telaff. In the afternoon a messenger, sent by the 
Princess to the Alazan, returned with the news that a 
portion of the Lesghians had already crossed to the 
Tsenondahl side of the river, but had halted on the 
bank, being kept in check by a strong body of militia 
under Prince Andronikoff. This was the last moment 
for escape ; but no one profited by it. 

The messenger was not believed. The Princess Tinia 
and Daredjana Gfamgrelidzey declared that "fear had 
made his eyes great;"* and the former of these ladies 
went so far as to caution those around her against say- 
ing a word to the Princess Chavchavadzey on the subject 
of danger. The Princess Anna was, in fact, so much 
occupied with her little Lydia, whom she was nursing, 
that she had no time for entering into the details of the 
situation, and therefore willingly left to others the task 
of directing the household. 

An hour or two afterwards, a stranger arrived at the 
house and begged for hospitality. He was wet through, 
and stated that he had just escaped the Lesghians by 
swimming across the Alazan. He represented himself 
to be a merchant, and only asked permission to pass the 
night in the chateau. The servants would not grant his 
request without obtaining the consent of the Princess, 
who, however, readily granted it. A short time after- 
wards the pretended merchant was seen to load his gun. 
This at once raised the Princess's suspicion ; and she lost 
no time in supplying firearms and ammunition to three 
men servants who still remained in the house. She at 

* " The eyes of fear are great." — Russian Proverb. 



26 



* CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



the same time ordered them to watch the stranger, not 
to leave him for a moment alone, and at the first sign of 
treachery to kill him. While these directions were 
being given, the messenger sent by Prince David from 
Shildy, with the letter of which we have already spoken, 
arrived at Tsenondahl. This communication not only 
satisfied the family as to the position of the Prince, but 
also reassured them as to their own safety. After read- 
ing the note, one of them observed that it was a good 
thing they had not retired to the wood, and that they 
would now have time to get to Telaff. Every one 
concurred in this opinion. But as there was still no 
reason why they should not consult the Prince, the 
Princess Orbeliani sent him a note, inquiring how great 
the danger really was, and where they had better go in 
order to be thoroughly safe. This was the letter which 
Prince David had no time to answer. 

Expecting every hour to hear from him, the Prin- 
cesses still remained at Tsenondahl. In the evening, 
having received no reply, they sent to Telaff for post- 
horses, and were informed that they could not have them 
before the morning. The prospect of this delay did not 
disturb them in the least, as they had the greatest con- 
fidence in the proximity of the wood, where it appeared 
easy enough to obtain refuge at the very shortest notice. 
This wood was indeed so thick that the peasants who 
visited it in search of mushrooms never came back with- 
out having their clothes torn. However, it was necessary 
to take some precautions for the night. The Princess 
Chavchavadzey summoned the three men who had been 
entrusted with the surveillance of the suspicious mer- 



THE STRANGER'S SIGNAL. 



27 



chant. One of them was ordered to keep watch from 
the hay loft near the gates. The second was told to 
disarm the man, and even then not to lose sight of him. 
The third was sent to the belvidere, where the sound of 
horses' hoofs could be heard from as far as the other 
side of the Alazan, and where the whole family were 
afterwards discovered by the mountaineers. 

Soon afterwards the Princesses, the children, and all 
the female servants retired to rest. The Princess went 
to bed after all the others, and, disturbed by dismal 
presentiments, was a long time falling asleep. She 
had, however, visited her three watchmen, and had 
found each at his appointed post ; so that, knowing the 
marauders usually made their attacks during the night, 
she felt at her ease when morning approached, thinking 
that with the darkness all immediate danger had disap- 
peared. But at daybreak the report of a gun rang 
through the courtvard. This was the signal of the 
pretended merchant, who, in spite of the Princess's 
directions, had not been disarmed. For the second time 
the orders of the Princess had been neglected ; and this 
inattention was the cause of the catastrophe in which 
the whole family were involved. 

The signal of the mountaineers' spy probably an- 
nounced to them that Tsenondahl was unprotected, and 
that they could attack it with impunity. The report of 
the gun awakened the entire household, with one ex- 
ception. In a moment they were all on their legs ; but 
the 66 merchant " could not be found, and the men who 
had been put to watch had also disappeared. The Princess 
alone had not been roused. Fatigued by her vigil and 



28 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



her excitement, she was still sleeping; and the ser- 
vants, in their confusion, seem for some time to have 
lost sight of the necessity of waking her, although it 
was now tolerably certain that the marauders were ap- 
proaching. 

In front of the chateau stood a dense cluster of trees, 
in which the mountaineers had taken shelter for the 
night. After leaving their hiding-place they could still 
advance unperceived towards Tsenondahl, and could 
not be seen from the windows until they were within 
five minutes' march of the house. 

In the meantime the Princess had been awakened, 
and was giving directions for the departure of the 
family. It was already seven o'clock ; and a few minutes 
afterwards Dr. Grorlichenko (surgeon of the district, 
and the Princess's private physician) arrived from Telaff 
with the promised post-horses. The horses were in- 
stantly harnessed to Princess Chavchavadzey's travelling 
carriage, the bags of which were filled with jewellery, 
money, plate, and other valuables. The Princess was 
standing on the balcony hurrying on the servants, who 
were helping to pack the bags and boxes. It was now 
eight o'clock, when suddenly an old retired captain who 
lived at Tsenondahl was heard to exclaim, " Modian" 
(they come) ! an announcement which threw the family 
into such consternation that from that moment they 
appear to have done nothing. 

The men who had arrived with the horses took to 
their heels. 

Dr. Grorlichenko met the marauders at the door of 
the house, checked them for a moment by firing his 



APPROACH OF THE MARAUDERS. 



29 



pistols among them and killing the leader, and then 
profited by the confusion to escape. 

The old captain who had given notice of the ma- 
rauders' approach was an invalid and, moreover, un- 
armed, He ran to the end of the garden, and climbed 
up one of the trees which grew over the river Choon- 
o-oora. The branch on which the old man was seated 
bent with his weight to such an extent that he seemed 
on the point of being precipitated into the water, but 
he contrived to remain in his insecure position until 
all danger had passed. 

The Princess, in the meanwhile, directed the whole 
of the family to proceed upstairs to the belvidere. 
As soon as they had reached the top of the house, a pea- 
sant, whom no one knew, made his appearance with a 
saw. He proposed to saw down the staircase, and de- 
clared that he would protect the Princesses until the 
last. The Princess Chavchavadzey, fearing that the 
robbers, if they found the staircase destroyed, would set 
the house on fire, desired the man to desist from his 
intention, which he had already begun to execute. Ee- 
flecting, moreover, that one man could do nothing against 
the numbers who were about to invade the house, she 
desired the peasant to seek safety without delay, and to 
take with him the boy of thirteen, who even now was 
unwilling to forsake the family. The peasant took 
charge of the boy, and they at last disappeared. 

The women and children were now alone on the bel- 
videre. With the exception of the Princess Chavchav- 
adzey and her sister, the whole party were in a state of 
the greatest trepidation. The former of these two ladies, 



30 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



who alone preserved their presence of mind, turned to 
Madame Drancey, the French governess, and said, 
" Quelle fatale destinee vous reunit a nous en ce mo- 
ment ! Pardonnez-moi d?en avoir ete phis ou moins 
la cause ! " At the same time the Princess had to pacify 
the children, whose cries were sure to attract the notice of 
the robbers. She succeeded in silencing them all, with 
the exception of Lydia, the baby, whom she at last quieted 
by giving her the breast. 

The Princess Orbeliani was also self-possessed. The 
only thing she feared was to witness the death of another 
person ; and she accordingly placed herself next the door, 
to die the first. 

By her side was the beautiful Nina Baratoff, in her 
rich Georgian costume. 

The Princess Anna, who was on her knees pressing 
her little child to her bosom, had turned her back to the 
door, so that she might not see the blow T which was to 
kill them both. 

The remainder of the party were huddled together in 
one group. 

In the above position the family remained as quietly 
as possible for about an hour, during which time 
the robbers were fully occupied searching the twenty- 
two rooms which composed the lower floors of the 
house. With sickness of heart the Princesses heard, 
from time to time, the opening and shutting of doors, 
the unlocking and breaking of boxes, the smashing of 
glass, and the thumping of the robbers' fists on the keys 
of the pianoforte whenever it attracted the attention of 
a fresh party. 



THE CAPTURE. 



31 



The robbers appeared so thoroughly absorbed in their 
work of plunder, that the Princesses became courageous, 
and began to conceive projects of escape. The Princess 
Orbeliani opened the door, went down stairs, and suc- 
ceeded in reaching the first floor, intending, if it should 
appear possible, to let down some of the elder children, 
such as Salome and Marie, through the window,, after 
which it would be easy for them to run on to the wood. 
She, however, became conwinced that her plan could not 
be carried out. In the lower rooms a number of moun- 
taineers were engaged ransacking the Prince's cabinet. 
The Princess took a hasty glance at them from the top 
of the staircase, and returned to the belvidere. 

Soon afterwards the old Princess Tinia Orbeliani 
went down stairs, and did not return. The Princess 
Tinia has but little memory, and has never given any 
intelligible account of her proceedings. It is certain, 
however, that having met the robbers, she concealed 
herself in a cupboard, and thus escaped a captivity 
which would probably have been fatal to her. 

One of the servants suddenly conceived the idea of 
bolting the robbers out. She fastened the door of the 
belvidere, — an operation which could only prolong the 
suspense from which they had already suffered so much, 
for, of course, the door would soon yield to blows. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey was on her knees, pray- 
ing and listening, when, at last, the robbers arrived. 

Three or four of them ran up the staircase with a 
light quick step, and, entering the room adjoining the 
belvidere, began to throw out of the window the pillows 
and bed-clothes, which were kept there in readiness for 



32 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



visitors. Having done this, the robbers appeared to be 
on the point of retiring. They went part of the way 
down stairs ; and the Princesses now began to hope that 
they would omit to visit the belvidere. But they 
hoped in vain. The mountaineers returned; and this 
time there were not merely three or four, but a large 
party. They reached the end of the staircase and shook 
the door, but not violently, nor even decidedly; so that 
it still remained closed : they probably expected to find 
the belvidere defended by an armed force. 

At last, more decisive measures were adopted, and the 
door burst open. The robbers paused on the threshold 
and broke into a loud laugh, which can only be ex- 
plained by their amusement at meeting with a group of 
defenceless women, when they had anticipated nothing 
less than an attack from a formidable body of men. To 
this wild and ironical shout, the children answered by a 
scream. 

The Princess Anna now stood up, prepared to meet 
death face to face. 

The Princess Orbeliani, who it will be remembered 
was next the door, was instantly seized upon, and then 
led down stairs with a certain amount of attention. 
The others were also laid hold of by the mountaineers, 
who rushed, each with his captive, towards the staircase. 

The staircase, already weakened by the peasant's saw, 
gave way beneath the steps of the mountaineers, as they 
crowded down it with their prisoners. The whole 
party — mountaineers, women, and children — were min- 
gled in a heap on the floor beneath ; and many were the 
injuries received by the weaker portion of those who 



THE "KHANCHA." 



33 



fell. The Princess Chavchavadzey, who had let her 
child slip from her arms, saw one of the mountaineers 
tread upon it with his heavy foot. 

As soon as they had recovered from the fall, the 
marauders proceeded to take possession of their pri- 
soners, whom for a time they had necessarily relin- 
quished. They made them descend the next staircase 
in a different manner. This time the robbers neither 
pulled nor carried, but rolled them down stairs. 
Having reached the next floor, comparatively without 
injury, the Princesses heard the word "Khancha"* uttered 
several times by the robbers. Immediately afterwards 
their long shaskkas were flashing above the head of 
the Princess Chavchavadzey, whom they recognised as 
the head of the house ; and, after being made the ob- 
ject of a severe contest between the different members 
of the band, the unfortunate lady fell into the power of 
the man who had first taken possession of her in the 
belvidere. 

Here the captives were divided into several parties, 
each of which met with a separate series of adventures 
on their road to ShamiFs camp. 

* Wife of the khan or chief. 



34 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



CHAP. IV. 

We have said that the Princess Orbeliani, standing at 
the door of the belvidere, was the first to be seized 
upon by the robbers. We will begin by describing her 
adventures, and afterwards relate what befell the more 
important of the other victims, 

The marauders consisted of Chechnians and Les- 
ghians. One of the former had approached the Princess 
Orbeliani, and endeavoured to put his arms round her 
waist, The Princess instinctively withdrew from his 
embrace, upon which the Chechnian, in a mixture of 
Russian and Georgian, informed her that she had no- 
thing to fear from him. The Princess on her part con- 
trived to explain to him that she wished to have her 
child with her. The Chechnian gave her to understand 
that that was impossible, and taking her by the hand 
led her down the staircase. 

When they arrived at the second staircase, the Chech- 
nian took his captive in his arms, and carried her down, 
crossed the courtyard, and deposited her on a seat by 
the side of a well. Here he left the Princess for a time, 
but before doing so cautioned her against attempting to 
escape, and advised her to conceal herself as much as 
possible from his companions, in order to avoid being 
ill treated by them. 



ROBBING A BABY, 



35 



The Chechnian's warning simply meant that he did 
not wish to lose his treasure, which would certainly 
some day or other procure him a handsome sum of 
money by way of ransom, and that he was at the same 
time anxious to continue his burglarious researches in 
the chateau of TsenondahL 

However the value which the Chechnian evidently 
set upon her encouraged the Princess to demand her 
son, and the mountaineer went away promising to bring 
him to her. 

After some time the Chechnian did indeed return 
with a child, but it was Lydia, the Princess Chavcha- 
vadzey's little girl. The infant was wrapped up in a 
quilt*, edged with lace, which the mountaineers ap- 
peared to think very valuable, for they lost no time in 
tearing it off as soon as they perceived it. The Prin- 
cess held the child in her arms until another moun- 
taineer came for it, saying that its mother had sent him 
to fetch it. 

The Princess Orbeliani's captor did not return for a 
considerable time, during which she was a constant wit- 
ness of the robbers' brutality, 

From her position behind the well she saw them 
drag forth Madame Drancey, the children, and one of the 
nurses, place them on horseback, and conduct them out- 
side the courtyard. She saw them pillage the house, 
and afterwards set it on fire. Of her sister's movements, 
however, she knew nothing. Probably the Princess 

* In Russia infants are carried about in wadded quilts, and when 
very young have scarcely any other covering, 

D 2 



36 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Chavchavadzey, who had been taken out on foot, had 
passed unobserved in the midst of a party of horsemen. 

When nearly every one had gone away, the Chechnian 
who had taken possession of the Princess Chavchavadzey 
returned with four of his companions, and proposed that 
she should get on horseback. 

The horse was magnificent, and the saddle equally 
good, only it was the saddle of a mountaineer, and 
therefore not very well suited to a lady. Otherwise 
there had been nothing hitherto in the treatment of the 
Princess Orbeliani which, considering the circumstances, 
could be made a subject of complaint. The black cloth 
dress which the young widow was wearing had not been 
injured, and she had been subjected to no kind of per- 
sonal insult. 

They proceeded slowly, but without accident, as far 
as the Kizishevi, the first river they had to cross. Here 
the mountaineers found time to inform the Princess 
Orbeliani that they knew who she was, and that they 
remembered her husband when he was in captivity with 
Shamil. They added that he was a brave man, and 
therefore entitled to their respect. 

Until the passage of the Kizishevi they proceeded in 
a straggling manner; and as the Princess was riding 
behind them all, she knew nothing about the position 
of the other captives. But, as she was descending to- 
wards the river, she perceived the pink dress of her 
son's wet nurse, which somewhat comforted her, as she 
felt sure that the nurse could not be far from the little 
boy. 

Having reached the other bank, the mountaineers 



A GOVERNESS IN DIFFICULTIES. 



37 



and their prisoners continued to advance without any 
particular order, until they approached Captain Hitrovo's 
ambuscade at the back of the hill of Kontzhi. At this 
unexpected rencontre they formed into a mass with the 
prisoners in the centre, so that, while making their 
escape, they at the same time incurred no risk of losing 
their captives. 

But before describing this scene we mast relate the 
adventures of the other prisoners, from the time of their 
falling into the hands of the marauders until six in the 
afternoon, or probably later; for it was already five 
o'clock when Prince Chavchavadzey despatched Cap- 
tain Hitrovo with his two companies to the hill of 
Kontzhi. 

While the robbers were taking the Princess Orbeliani 
down stairs, and after her the Princess Chavchavadzey, 
Madame Drancey remained on her knees, covering her 
face with her hands, seeing nothing, and hearing only 
the screams of the children. Soon afterwards she felt 
herself in the arms of a man * with a bare shaven head, 
a red face, and an indescribable odour. This moun- 
taineer, whom the French lady calls a monster, carried 
her part of the way down the staircase, which fell be- 
neath his steps. 

In this catastrophe all the women suffered consider- 
ably — as much from fright as from positive injuries — 

* Madame Drancey communicated her own account of these in* 
cidents in French : " Je me sens prendre," she says, " par un homme a 
la tete nue et rasee, a la figure rouge, sentant je ne sais pas quoi. , . , 
Je me sens portee par ce monstre," &c. 

D 3 



38 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



and, with the exception of the Princesses Orbeliani and 
Baratoff, all had their dresses more or less torn. 

Madame Drancey, in the latter respect, was more 
to be pitied than any one; for the robbers, in their 
anxiety to take everything valuable she possessed, tore her 
clothes from her back, and left her with nothing but 
" her chemise, her stays, and her Parisian boots." * In 
this condition she was carried into the courtyard, made 
to sit down on the steps of the laundry, and told to 
take care of a couple of horses, whose reins were placed 
in her hands. Madame Drancey had always been afraid 
of horses, but she understood that she had no choice 
but to obey. 

Just then some person wearing a chalma, probably a 
Murid f , dismissed the mountaineers who had brought 
Madame Drancey down from the belvidere, and put 
some of his own men to guard her. 

Eemaining on the steps of the laundry, Madame 
Drancey was unable to see what was happening to her 
companions in misfortune. But she had now had time 
to collect her thoughts, and despair soon disappeared 
before hope in the breast of the French lady. 

This is sufficiently proved by the determination at 
which she had already arrived, and which she after- 
wards communicated in the following words : — " I 
thought of my old mother, and of my little boy only ten 

* "Ne me laissant rien excepte ma chemise, mon corset, et mes 
bottines de Paris." 

f The Muriels form the bodyguard of Shamil, and the chalma is their 
distinctive head-dress ; it is wound like a turban round the top of the 
Circassian cap. 



MADAME BRANCEY'S COSTUME. 



39 



years of age, and made up my mind to employ three 
years, the utmost that could be necessary, in teaching 
one of these monsters the French language, so that he 
might understand me, and help me to escape and re- 
turn to my dear native land." 

In an hour or two the same Murid returned to the 
French lady, who was already so full of hope, and or- 
dered her to get on horseback behind one of his men, 
and join the rest of the party, who had already set off. 

The man who was riding in the saddle recommended 
her to lay tight hold of his girdle, which she naturally did 
not hesitate to do. 

In this manner they reached the ford of the river 
Kizishevi. The scanty clothing of Madame Drancey 
became wet through in the passage, but one of the 
mountaineers observed her distressing situation, and 
covered her with his bouvka* 

Soon afterwards the benevolent mountaineer who 
had offered the French lady his garment presented her 
with a handful of flour, which he took from his pocket ; 
but Madame de Drancey refused this primitive and dis- 
gusting refreshment. 

The rest of her journey to ShamiFs camp was per- 
formed in the midst of a herd of oxen, who constantly 
pressed up against her horse, and impeded its pro- 
gress. 

This mode of travelling was both inconvenient and 
dangerous ; but it was necessary to bear every annoy- 
ance with patience. Moreover there was one decided ad- 



* A kind of cloak. 
D 4 



40 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



vantage which fell to the lot of Madame Drancey, namely, 
that of escaping Captain Hitrovo's ambuscade. The herd 
which surrounded her appear to have been conducted by 
a different route from that pursued by the main body of 
the mountaineers; for Madame Drancey did not remem- 
ber any collision with the Russians in the course of her 
journey, and such an affair as Captain Hitrovo's surprise 
could scarcely have failed to make an impression on her 
memory. 

The mountaineers were frequently alarmed by the 
notion that they were being pursued, and on these 
occasions they would set off at full gallop. 

Let us now return to the belvidere, and see 
what happened to the Princesses Baratoff and Chav- 
chavadzey. 

The Princess Nina Baratoff was sitting by the side of 
her aunt the Princess Orbeliani ; and when the latter was 
led down stairs the former was taken possession of by 
some very young mountaineer, who appeared to be not 
more than sixteen or seventeen years of age. The 
youthful marauder, to judge by the elegance of his cos- 
tume and the beauty of his arms, must have belonged to 
one of the best families of Chechni, which is known to 
be the head quarters of the Caucasian aristocracy. But, 
unwilling to rely on his own personal strength, particu- 
larly as the Princess Nina was full of health and vigour, 
the beardless young Chechnian commenced by tying his 
captive's arms behind her back. Then, convinced that 
it was impossible for her to escape, he led her down the 
staircase. 

In the courtyard the gallant Chechnian, now secure of 



A POLITE CHECHNIAN, 



41 



his prize, placed ber on a separate horse, and was polite 
enough to leave her Georgian costume untouched, being 
more impressed, as it would seem, by its magnificence 
than tempted by its value. The mountaineers who 
accompanied the young Chechnian aristocrat did not 
venture to interfere with his captive, who was thus 
the most fortunate of all the late inmates of Tse- 
nondahl. 

At the passage of the Alazan the Princess fell from 
her horse into the water, but was pulled out by the rope 
which held her elbows together. On the other side 
of the river a Xaib * interfered, and had this rope 
removed, 

The same Naib, at the request of the Princess Orbe- 
liani, directed that the young Princess Nina should 
always be surrounded by some others of the prisoners 
from Georgia, and this order was obeyed throughout the 
journey, until they reached the tower of Pohali, though 
the young Chechnian still remained by her side. 

In this manner the Princess Xina reached the hill of 
Kontzhi. 

But here we must for the last time go back to the 
belvidere, in order to narrate the adventures of the 
Princess Chavchavadzey, who from the very beginning 
had a greater amount of misfortune to support than any 
of the others. 

We left the Princess Chavchavadzey just after the 
mountaineers had engaged in an animated contest for 
the possession of the " Khancha," as they called her, 

* Governor of a province subject to Shamil. 



42 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



She had fallen into the hands of her original captor, 
who was apparently a Murid, his chalma being precisely 
similar to the one worn by the mountaineer who had 
taken charge of the Princess Orbeliani. 

The first result of the contest between the robbers 
was felt by the Princess in the loss of all her clothes. 
Her muslin dress was torn from her in shreds, and her 
under garments soon met with a similar fate. At last 
the Princess, like the unfortunate Madame Drancey, had 
nothing left but her stays and her chemise. 

Fortunately however, she had a natural covering in 
her long, thick, and beautiful hair which escaping 
from the comb fell over her neck and shoulders like a 
black mantilla. 

The Princess had also the misfortune to lose one of 
her slippers during the disturbance, and this loss, 
though apparently trifling, was a fertile source of suf- 
fering during the first part of the journey. 

The Murid who had finally taken possession of the 
" Khancha" placed her in a wardrobe which had been 
thoroughly plundered and battered to pieces. Leaving 
her there he went away to continue his search for booty 
in another part of the house. 

At the bottom of the wardrobe was a large nail. The 
Princess in her trouble and confusion stepped on this 
nail with her naked foot, which was cut in a terrible 
manner. 

* The effect of the terrible anxiety suffered by the Princess Chav- 
chavaclzey during her eight months' captivity was shown in the loss of 
nearly all this beautiful hair, which at the period of her return had become 
lamentably thin. 



LYDIA EESTOEED. 



43 



After a short absence the Murid returned, took the 
Princess into the courtyard, placed her on the ground 
and surrounded her with horses, so that she might he 
guarded from the envious glances of his disappointed 
rivals. 

The Murid was now himself tempted by the Prin- 
cess's diamond ear-rings, which he endeavoured to 
seize. She eluded his grasp, raised her hands to her 
head, and made him understand that she would give 
them up of her own accord if he would bring her her 
child. 

The Murid instantly set off and soon returned with 
little Lydia, whom he had found in the arms of the 
Princess Orbeliani. 

The infant had nothing on except its chemise ; but the 
mother was delighted to obtain possession of it, and 
surrendered the ear-rings with pleasure. 

After some time a party of mountaineers approached 
the Princess with an interpreter, and asked her 
" whether there were any treasures concealed about the 
house ? " 

"There is nothing hidden," replied the Princess: 
" search for what you want, there is no one to take it 
from you." 

" Where is your husband ? " asked the Chechnians. 
" He is a soldier and at his post," was the answer. 
" But where is he stationed ? " 
" I do not know that myself." 

The Princess gave the latter answer in order to afford 
the mountaineers no opportunity of informing her that 
her husband was killed. Such news would have been 



44 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



too much for her to support, although she was at the 
* same time aware that, coming from such a source, it 
would not be very trustworthy. 

The Princess now requested that her four other 
children might be brought to her. The mountaineers 
did not believe that such a young woman could have had 
five children.* However, after some delay they brought 
them all to her with the exception of Salome, the eldest, 
whom they were unable to find. 

The mountaineers having been made to understand 
that the Princess wished to drink, brought her some 
water in a box of cocoa-nut wood which had always stood 
on the table in the drawing-room. As the Princess 
raised this strange goblet to her lips, the mountaineers 
for the first time perceived the rings on her fingers, and 
lost no time in pulling them off. The Murid did not 
witness this private act of plunder committed by his 
companions, or he would probably, from personal reasons, 
have objected to it. 

Soon afterwards all the children were taken away, 
with the exception of Lydia, the baby. The mother 
was at the same time consoled by being informed that 
they would be taken care of and conducted with the 
rest of the prisoners to Shamil's camp. 

The mountaineers now began to prepare for their 
departure. The Murid proposed that the Princess 
should ride on horseback ; but she refused to do so, as 
she would then have been unable to hold her child in 

* In the mountains of the Caucasus the women suffer a great deal 
from the amount of physical labour they have to perform ; and no 
woman who had had five children could fail to look old. 



DEPARTURE FOR THE MOUNTAINS. 45 

her arms, and she could not consent to trust it for a 
moment in the hands of the Chechnians. Accordingly 
she determined to walk, 

To walk was, however, no easy matter. The sand 
and small stones penetrated her stocking, and, entering 
the wound in her foot, soon caused her the most insup- 
portable pain. The Princess could not keep up with 
the mountaineers, and was occasionally urged on by 
blows from their whips, which, though not inflicted 
with much force, were not the less painful and humili- 
ating. She proceeded in this way until they reached 
the Kizishevi, which she commenced fording on foot 
with her child in her arms. The men on horseback 
were pressing against her on all sides. 

At length when she was immersed up to her neck in 
the stream, she lost her footing, and the current was 
carrying her away, when one of the Chechnians took 
the child from the mother's arms, while another seized 
the Princess herself, lifted her on to his horse, and 
bore her in safety to the opposite bank. The principal 
result of this accident to the Princess was a violent 
fright ; but her scanty clothing was at the same time 
so thoroughly saturated that it clung to her body. 
The Murid observing the helpless condition of his 
prisoner, who was sitting on the bank wet through and 
half dead from fright, took her behind him on his 
horse, and perceiving that she was unable to hold on to 
his girdle herself, passed her hands through it, and 
tightened it so that she was unable to withdraw them. 
The Murid now held the child himself. 

In an hour's time the marauders arrived with their 



46 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



captives at the village of Kandolee, and set fire to it 
as they passed. Now for the first time the Princess 
saw some of her servants, and one of them, a Eussian 
girl named Vassilissa, came towards her with her son 
Alexander, who was only a year and four months old, 
and informed her that he had lost his wet nurse. The 
Murid, who understood what it was all about, took from 
his pocket a piece of sugar (which he had doubtless 
found at Tsenondahl), and gave it to the Princess for 
her little boy. 

A man wearing a uniform which consisted of a dark 
blue chouha*, and a red cap with a white chalma round 
it, now approached the Princess, and said to her, in good 
Eussian, 

" Who are you ? Is it your house that was burnt in 
Tsenondahl?" 

The Princess stated who she was, and that Tsenondahl 
was her estate. 

"In that case," continued the unknown, "you need be 
under no alarm. Shamil has ordered that none of the 
prisoners are to be injured; and should his orders be 
transgressed, the head of the culprit will fly off in re- 
turn." 

The Princess, thinking the man who was addressing 
her had some authority over the others, requested him 
to tell them to give her a dress. The stranger instantly 
issued some directions to the mountaineers, which 
appear not to have been obeyed ; at all events the 
dress was not produced, and the Princess continued her 
journey in her former pitiable plight. 

*• A kind of tunic. 



AN INQUISITIVE MOUNTAINEEE. 



47 



The mountaineers halted once more before reaching 
# the Alazan. Here the Murid who had accompanied the 
Princess all the way from Tsenondahl, — and who had 
indeed considered her to a certain extent his own 
property ever since he took possession of her on the 
belvidere of the chateau, — restored little Lydia to her 
arms. 

At the same time Vassilissa came forward with 
Alexander, who was screaming for his wet nurse, and 
refused to be comforted although the mother offered 
herself as a substitute. 

The mountaineers on their side were busy inspecting 
their plunder, and some of them began to strip the 
gold and silver from the holy pictures * which they had 
stolen from Tsenondahl. One of them showed the 
Princess a book in the Georgian language, and signified 
to her that he meant to cut it to pieces. The Princess 
supposes that the mountaineer imagined this book to 
be the Bible, or at all events some work connected with 
the Christian religion. Hence his determination, in- 
sultingly expressed, to destroy it. 

The sacrilegious treatment of the holy pictures was of 
course deeply painful to the Princess and to all her 
companions who witnessed it. 

The Murid in the red cap f now approached the Princess 
a second time, and spoke to her in Russian. 

" You are acquainted with the fortifications of Telaff, 

* Every room in a Russian house is provided with a picture of the 
Saviour, the Virgin, or some saint. These pictures, like those in the 
churches, are richly ornamented. See note to p. 19. 

f This man afterwards turned out to be an Armenian. 



48 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



and know whether we have any chance of making a 
successful attempt upon that town." 

" I advise you to go there/' she replied, " for I am 
certain none of you would ever return." 

The Princess gave this answer because she was well 
aware that Telaff possessed but inefficient means of 
defence. 

After trying various means for obtaining the precise 
information he required from the Princess, first flattering, 
then threatening her, the Miirid of the red cap at last 
put the following question : 

" How many troops are there in Telaff ? 99 
The Princess replied without hesitation, " there is one 
regiment of Cossacks ; there are four companies of in- 
fantry ; and then there is the garrison. You would do 
well to go there." 

" And we shall go there," concluded the Murid as he 
went away with very visible signs of annoyance. # 
It was now time to continue the march. 
Vassilissa took Alexander, while Lydia, wrapped up in 
a cloak, remained with her mother, who, as before, rode 
on horseback behind her faithful Murid. 

As they proceeded towards the Alazan the Princess 
met the washerwoman Varvara, who was on horse- 
back, carrying Tamara, the Princess's third child. There 
was some opportunity for conversation^ of which the 
Princess took advantage. 

" You are not afraid ? " she said to Varvara. 
" No, Princess," replied the latter ; " the man who is 
taking charge of us is of a kind disposition. He gave 

* However, the mountaineers did not attack Telaff, which was de- 
fended by a force far inferior to what the Princess had represented. 



a general's daughter. 



49 



Tamara something to eat," she added, thinking more of 
the little girl than of herself. 

A little further on the Princess's Murid gave her a 
handkerchief, and wished her to cover her face with it. 

The Princess found subsequently that the women of 
good family in the Caucasus never go out without veils ; 
but at that time she was only alarmed by the moun- 
taineer's proposition, and was determined not to accede 
to it, as she was desirous of knowing herself by what 
dangers she was surrounded. 

Soon afterwards rain began to fall, and continued 
until they came to the Alazan. 

During the passage the child was taken from the 
Princess, s but it was returned to her when she reached 
the other bank. 

The Murid now offered to let the Princess sit down on 
the ground for a time ; but her limbs had been so much 
shaken, and she was generally in such a state of lassitude, 
that she was afraid to change her position. 

Euphrosyne, a little girl of fourteen, who was wearing 
a cloak and the straw hat of the little boy Alexander, 
passed the Princess, and attracted her attention by the 
violence of her sobbing. The subject of her grief was 
a mistake on the part of the mountaineers, who persisted 
in treating her as the daughter of a general — an honour 
to which Euphrosyne was naturally not accustomed. 

When the Princess came up with the main body, she 
witnessed an extraordinary spectacle. Some of the 
Chechnians had dressed themselves in women's clothes, 
others wore children's hats — all of which would, doubt- 
less, have amused the Princess, but for the state of 

E 



50 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



despondency into which she had fallen. Now and then 
a Lesghian or Chechnian would pass with silver forks 
and spoons stuck in his girdle. 

About this time the Princess Orbeliani made her ap- 
pearance at a distance. She had still her black dress, 
but her head was uncovered. 

A little further on was Daredjana Gramgrelidzey, who 
was riding in an arba with some of the servants. 

Daredjana, as she approached the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey, told her she had just seen Shamil's son, Kazi- 
Machmat, that she had told him the Princess ought to 
have a horse to herself, and that he had promised to 
find her one. 

Daredjana added that the Princess ought to take care 
of herself, and keep up her strength as much as possible, 
for the sake of her children, but that, as far as she 
(Daredjana) was concerned, she felt that she should not 
live through her captivity. 

" If they do not kill me," she said, " I am sure I shall 
die all the same." * 

The poor woman appeared to have a presentiment of 
the death which awaited her. 

One of the servants who was in the arba with 
Daredjana, offered the half-naked Princess her wadded 
cloak, which the latter refused, saying that she should 
soon be able to get all she wanted, but that the servants 
would do well to keep what they had, as they would 
probably not have the same privileges. 

* Eear had had such an effect upon Daredjana, that when she was in 
the belvidere her face became black and swollen. In her consternation, 
she tore the rings from her fingers, and threw them away. 



THE SURPRISE. 



51 



The Princess Orbeliani now joined her sister, who, 
feeling that her voice was failing her, imagined she was 
dying, and gave her her little Lydia, enjoining her not to 
lose sight of her on any account. But the Murid would 
not allow the Princess Orbeliani to take the child, say- 
ing that she could not feed it, and that it would conse- 
quently die of hunger. 

By this time the mountaineers were not far from the 
hill of Kontzhi, and they formed into closer order as 
they approached the narrow passage at the foot. At 
this moment the prisoners were all together, and formed 
the centre of the party. The Princess Orbeliani was 
immediately behind her sister. 

Just as they were turning the corner of the hill, they 
were thrown into a state of terrible confusion by a 
volley of musketry and artillery, which not only deafened 
and alarmed the prisoners, but inflicted no small injury 
on the mountaineers. The Chechnians, however, wheeled 
suddenly round and took to flight, — at the same time 
not forgetting their prisoners and the rest of their booty. 

They intended to make a circuit, and then continue 
their journey by the same route; but they were followed 
in their flight by repeated volleys from the Eussian 
guns, and had to abandon this intention. 

The Murid, who carried the Princess Chavchavadzey 
behind his saddle, headed the retreat, and his strong, 
swift horse flew like a bird. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey had one arm in the 
Murid's girdle, and with the other held her child. At 
this moment the Princess only prayed that one of the 
Eussian bullets might liberate her from her present and 

E 2 



52 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



future sufferings ; which might easily have happened, as 
balls and shells were whistling and hissing past her every 
moment. The horse of a Chechnian, who was riding 
close to her, was struck by a shell and almost torn in 
two before her eyes ; but the Princess escaped for a fate 
which, at the time, appeared far more horrible than 
death. 

Looking round, the Princess saw a horse without a 
rider, and bearing a black dress which was waving in 
the wind. She at once imagined that this was the dress 
worn by her sister, who, she had no doubt, had fallen 
from her horse and perhaps been killed. 

It was afterwards ascertained that the ominous-looking 
garment was the skirt belonging to the dress of one of 
the servants, who had been thrown from her horse, but 
was afterwards picked up by the mountaineers and found 
to be uninjured. Nevertheless the Princess was now so 
exhausted by fatigue, excitement, and fear, that she felt 
her little remaining strength fast forsaking her. 

The only arm which she had at liberty for the sup- 
port of her child was becoming more and more numbed; 
and it was impossible to extricate the other from the 
Murid's girdle. 

The Princess was on the point of letting the infant 
escape from her convulsive embrace. 

At last her arm fell almost powerless, and with it the 
weeping Lydia. 

The Chechnian galloped on faster and faster. The 
mother still held the little girl by one foot; but, 
swinging to and fro, she was dashed at one time against 
the stirrup, at another against the side of the horse. 



DEATH OF LYDIA. 



53 



Either the Murid was determined not to stop, or he was 
unable to hear the mother's entreaties. 

In another second the mother's fingers had loosened 
their feeble grasp, the child fell with a shriek to the 
ground, and the whole troop of flying mountaineers rode 
over the body. 

Not one of the party would have escaped, had not 
Captain Hitrovo ceased his firing as soon as he per- 
ceived that the prisoners were falling beneath the blows 
of the Chechnians. In this manner, Daredjana Gram- 
grelidzey, and several others perished ; and the rest 
would certainly have shared her fate if the moun- 
taineers had found themselves cut off in their retreat. 



E 3 



54 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. V. 

The Chechnians having for the most part escaped in 
safety from the ambush party of the hill of Kontzhi, 
now rode on towards the wood. The trees grew thickly 
together, but this was scarcely any obstacle to the 
mountaineers, who were only too thankful that their 
retreat was so well protected. Cutting the branches 
away as they proceeded, they went first in one direction 
then in another, as if in search of some familiar path, 
but perhaps only with the view of eluding the Russians 
in case they should think fit to pursue them. 

Owing to the mode of progress adopted by the moun- 
taineers, it now became necessary for the party to break 
up again into separate groups, and it was not until the 
next day, when they were approaching the tower of 
Pohali, that they were reunited. 

When we left the Princess Orbeliani she was riding 
immediately behind her sister, and the mountaineers 
were fast approaching the hill of Kontzhi. 

She saw plainly with what difficulty the Princess 
Chavchavadzey was holding her little girl; and though 
she had borne her own sufferings with fortitude, she 
could not support those of her sister, and burst into 
tears. Moreover, with the condition of Lydia before 
her eyes, she imagined what the state of her own in- 



THROUGH THE "WOOD. 



55 



fant might be, whom she had not seen since the morn- 
ing. 

The Princess Orbeliani went through the affair of the 
hill of Kontzhi without sustaining any injury, and for- 
tunately was not a witness of the fatal accident which 
befel her sister's little girl. She had, however, beheld 
another episode, which was equally terrible. 

Yassilissa had fallen from her horse, holding in her 
arms Alexander, the Princess Chavchavadzey's little 
boy ; and some of the Chechnians, taking hold of the 
woman's arm, had dragged her a considerable distance 
along the ground. The terrified nurse might at such a 
moment have dropped the child, had she not been sup- 
ported in her exertions by the voice of the Princess 
Orbeliani, who encouraged her and entreated her to put 
forth all her energy. However, before the Princess 
could ascertain the fate of the little boy, a cloak was 
thrown over her, and her horse was at the same time 
urged on at a rapid pace, so that she quite lost sight of 
Vassilissa, as well as the child. 

Having reached the wood, the Princess Orbeliani and 
the party of mountaineers who now formed her ordinary 
escort became separated from the main body, and re- 
mained so until the evening. 

At the approach of night, before the moon had risen, 
the escort made a^halt ; that is to say, they got off their 
horses and told the Princess to follow their example. 
They then spread a cloak on the ground and began 
to eat, 

The Murid offered the Princess an apple, saying, — 
"You Georgians are accustomed to eat every day, 

E 4 



53 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS. 



and you are no doubt hungry. Take this." But the 
Princess Orbeliani, in spite of her exhaustion, felt no 
wish to partake of the marauder's supper, and refused 
the proffered fruit. 

The moon rose soon afterwards. The Princess's con- 
ductors got up, seated their captive on her horse, then 
mounted their own, and continued their journey. 

At a very steep descent which they soon afterwards 
reached, three of the Chechnians dismounted and very 
politely held their prisoner's horse as she rode down the 
slope. 

The second halt was made early the next morning, 
on the bank of some river. 

Here they were joined b)^ Madame Drancey, ex- 
hausted, beaten, and almost without clothing. 

The unhappy French lady had indeed had her share 
of suffering during the short but eventful march. 

Though she had followed a separate route in the 
midst of the herd of oxen, she found herself towards 
nightfall at the edge of the same wood which had been 
entered by the other captives. She had travelled the 
greater part of the way on foot, and the road had been 
both long and full of obstacles ; but when she failed to 
keep up with the horsemen, the Murid made use of his 
whip to awaken new strength in the exhausted woman. 

The first blow from the Chechnian's whip roused all 
the pride and all the anger of the already irritated 
Frenchwoman. She turned towards her insulter and 
expressed, in forcible but unfortunately quite unintel- 
ligible language, all the indignation and contempt 
which she felt for his conduct* 



MADAME DRANCEY IN STRANGE COMPANY. 



57 



Of course it was in vain that Madame Drancey 
addressed her remarks to the Murid, and he did 
not cease to apply his whip to the unfortunate lady's 
shoulders whenever she lagged behind. At a later 
period, when the moon had risen, Madame Drancey, 
under the impression that her persecutors, as Mahome- 
tans, worshipped that orb, took the trouble to curse 
it. But the imprecation was not more intelligible than 
her expressions of indignation and contempt, the moun- 
taineers being utterly unable to understand either the 
pantomime or the language of their captive. 

Madame Drancey passed the night in the wood, where 
she had to sleep in company with the cattle and the 
Chechnians. The chief of the party having laid down 
on a large cloak, which he had previously extended 
along the ground, invited her to share it ; but she in- 
formed him (of course in the French language) that she 
was not accustomed to receive such offers from strangers, 
and that she preferred to sleep with one of the oxen, 
whose back she soon converted into a pillow. 

After an hour's repose the mountaineers got up, 
roused the cattle, and again pursued their way through 
the thick wood. Madame Drancey had more fatigue 
and more blows in store for her ; but at dawn, as we 
have already seen, she joined the party who were con- 
ducting the Princess Orbeliani. 

Shortly after the arrival of Madame Drancey, one of 
the nurses of the Princess Ckavchavadzey's children 
came up. She had fared badly at the hill of Kontzhi, 
and had received serious injuries. 

The Princess Orbeliani turned to the Murid — know- 



58 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



ing the proficiency of the mountaineers in a certain 
kind of surgery — and asked him to dress the wounds 
of the unhappy woman. 

He at once examined them, but said there was no 
danger, and that it would be only necessary to bandage 
her head. 

The Murid then proceeded to make tea, and offered 
some to the Princess, who, however, suggested that he 
should take it to the wounded nurse. He refused in 
an abrupt manner, and said that she was not a Princess, 
and that it was a sin for her to drink tea. 

It was impossible not to be astonished at the combi- 
nation of much good nature with equal cruelty in the 
dispositions of these wild mountaineers; and striking 
examples of this were constantly occurring. Thus, for 
instance, when they had risen after the halt and were 
about to continue their journey, the Murid was very 
attentive to the Princess, and procured all possible 
comforts for her use on the road ; but immediately after- 
wards he beat the wounded nurse in the most savage 
manner, merely because the Princess had requested that 
the poor woman might be placed on horseback. 

Xot having succeeded in her request, the Princess 
Orbeliani forgot her own fatigue, and assisted the nurse 
as well as she could. At first she led her or held 
her up, and at last took her on to her own horse and 
supported her there. Luckily the Murid made no ob- 
jection to this. 

After the last halt the party of the Princess Orbeliani 
had been joined by a very remarkable group of captives, 
consisting of a family of Georgians — an old woman 



A FAMILY OF GEORGIANS. 



59 



and her two sons. The children were both very young- 
One of them, a boy of about five years of age, was hang- 
ing round his mother's neck ; the other, who was several 
years older, was walking before with his hands tied. 
The latter was so irritated that he abused his captors 
incessantly, now in the Georgian, now in the Tartar 
language, to which the mountaineer who was riding by 
his side responded by a shower of blows from his heavy 
whip. But the boy could not be silenced, although his 
shoulders were literally torn by the lashes. Even his 
old mother's earnest exhortations had no effect upon 
him ; and the young Georgian continued to insult his 
captors for hours together. Finally, when he was ex- 
hausted with fatigue and had lost no inconsiderable 
quantity of blood, the indomitable child, with foam 
upon his lips, begged that his hands might be untied, 
that he might at all events have the pleasure of biting 
the man who was leading him away. 

Struck with wonder at the behaviour of the child, the 
Princess was not less impressed by the fortitude and 
self-possession of the mother. For several versts the 
poor woman did not cease to address remonstrances to 
the mountaineer, whom she begged to make allowances 
for the impetuous nature of the boy, while she at- 
tempted at the same time to tranquillise her son. But 
she could only speak the Georgian language, and her 
words were lost upon the Chechnian. 

Again, whenever they came to a stream, she would 
take some water in the palms of her hands, and either 
apply it to the parched lips of the boy, or else use 
it in washing his bleeding shoulders. She did not 



60 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



notice that blood was flowing from her own feet, which 
were torn by the brambles and the sharp stones; and 
appeared equally unconscious of the weight of her 
second child,, who was still hanging round her neck. 

At the next, halting-place, the old Georgian woman 
still continued her exertions. Tired and exhausted, 
she nevertheless climbed up a very steep rock in search 
of some herb with which she intended to dress her son's 
wounds. She slipped and fell, but not until she had 
reached the plant she had been so anxious to obtain, and 
lost no time in applying it to her son's shoulders. 

It was impossible to witness the fortitude of these 
people under their afflictions without accepting it as a 
lesson not to murmur against hardships which, in com- 
parison with theirs, were mere trifles. 

To return to the other captives from Tsenondahl, the 
Princess Nina Baratoff appeared to have met with no ad- 
ventures of importance since the passage of the Alazan. 

Her journey towards the wood had of course been in- 
terrupted by the attack of Captain Hitrovo, and she had 
galloped away at the greatest possible speed, supported by 
aChechnian at each stirrup. ThePrincess had been thrown 
first to one side, then to the other, but had never lost her 
seat. She was still constantly accompanied by several of 
the servants from Tsenondahl, and also by her young 
captor, who behaved to her with the greatest respect. 

The Princess Xina was especially anxious about her 
aunt the Princess Orbeliani ; and on the following day 
she was delighted, as she was travelling through the 
wood, to hear her voice. The Princess Orbeliani was just 
then speaking of her niece; but although her words 



the princess nina's admirer. 



61 



were audible, she herself was completely concealed by 
the denseness of the thicket. 

The Princess Baratoff arrived at the tower of Pohali 
before her aunt, and was there obliged to separate from 
her young and gallant Chechnian. Wishing to reward 
him for his disinterested and respectful behaviour, the 
Princess took a gold watch and chain from her neck and 
presented it to him. 

In the meantime the adventures of the Princess 
Chavchavadzey had been as follows : — 

After she had lost her little child at the hill of 
Kontzhi, the Mttrid behind whom she was sitting, 
galloped in front of the whole party. The Princess, 
arriving in the wood one of the first, was there placed 
on a separate horse. Her conductor thought that this 
arrangement would enable her to proceed more easily 
and more rapidly ; but the change was not a beneficial 
one. Weak and almost exhausted, she was unable to sit 
firmly in the saddle ; and at the first impediment, in 
the shape of a branch, which stood in her way, she fell, 
and the horse went on without her. 

The Princess was now placed on another horse, which, 
she remembers, was entirely white. The mountaineers 
continued their journey by a circuitous route, fearing 
they might yet be pursued by the Eussians. They had 
frequently to clear a passage through the trees for them- 
selves and their horses ; and this they effected, like the 
party who had conducted the Princess Orbeliani, by 
means of their shashkas and long daggers. 

The road was up-hill all the way. When the 
mountaineers had completed some portion of the ascent 



62 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



they halted ; then spread a horse-cloth at the foot of 
a tree they had just felled, invited the Princess to take 
a seat, and afterwards sat down by her side, surrounded 
by their horses. Some of them produced bread and 
meat, and offered it to their captive, who, however, 
would accept nothing but water. They brought her 
some in a small leather pouch, with a neck formed out 
of an empty cartridge, through which she had to drink. 

The Chechnians soon fell asleep, probably fatigued by 
their rapid retreat. 

The Princess was now, for the first time, left to her own 
meditations, and could appreciate the full extent of her 
misfortunes. She had at present only to be informed 
of her husband's death, and she would then be alone, 
uncertain as to the fate of her children — with the excep- 
tion of one who had perished at her feet, — and a prisoner 
without hope in the hands of barbarous enemies. 

These reflections overcame her completely; but 
Providence had pity on her in her despair. 

In the midst of the silence which reigned around she 
recognised the voice of the wet nurse of her little 
nephew, George Orbeliani, proceeding from the darkness 
of the wood. The woman, who was a Russian, was 
nursing the child and singing to it after the manner of 
the country, in the hope of tranquillising it and sending 
it to sleep. 

66 Heaven be praised," exclaimed the Princess, as she 
listened to the nurse's song. " This one, then, is cer- 
tainly saved. But what has happened to the others ? " 

A little while afterwards the Princess heard the fol- 
lowing words :— 



A BAD NIGHT. 



63 



sc Is there no Christian present ? Let me only hear 
you speak, and I will come to you, fori am all alone." 

This was Nina the servant, who in the morning, seeing 
that the Princess Chavchavadzey was almost without 
clothes and thoroughly wet, had offered her her wadded 
petticoat. The latter now called out, and Nina hastened 
towards her. 

The Chechnians by this time were fast asleep. There 
was no fire, and it was bitterly cold in the wood. 

The Princess, in her meagre clothing, still damp from 
the passage of the Alazan, was shivering ; and Nina, with 
the view of warming her, embraced her, and lay down 
by her side, entwining herself as much as possible around 
her. But these efforts were in vain, the Princess was 
trembling from ague. 

While persisting in her endeavours to warm her 
mistress, Nina related to her, among other things, how, 
when the house at Tsenondahl was being plundered, the 
mountaineers had dragged her through all the rooms with 
a dagger at her breast, in order to make her point out 
the secret treasures which they imagined must exist. 
She had been taken away last of all from the house. 

Thus the Princess Chavchavadzey passed the first 
night of her captivity without closing her eyes for a 
moment, although sleep was so necessary to recruit her 
exhausted strength. 

The next day at dawn the mountaineers rose and set 
off with their captives. 

As they continued to ascend the hill, the earth 
crumbled and fell beneath their feet. To remain on 
horseback was impossible: and accordingly they all 



64 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



dismounted, and climbed up on foot, catching hold of 
the brushwood which grew in patches on the slope, so 
as to avoid falling. 

Nina and a Georgian servant named Katerina, who 
had joined them that morning, assisted the Princess 
in her endeavours to reach the summit of the hill ; but 
in spite of their help the latter soon became unable to 
proceed, and fell down utterly exhausted. The moun- 
taineers approached their fainting captive and threat- 
ened her with their daggers, to make her continue the 
ascent. But these menaces had no effect upon the 
Princess, who at this moment would have welcomed 
death as a release from her sufferings ; and one of the 
Chechnians, seeing the inefficacy of such brutality, took 
her on his shoulders and began to carry her up the hill. 
After proceeding a certain distance the mountaineer 
felt fatigued by his burden, and transferred the Princess 
to the shoulders of one of his comrades ; and in this 
manner she was shifted from one to the other, until at 
last she was deposited at the summit, which was covered 
with long luxuriant grass. The mountaineers, who had 
proceeded leisurely up the hill, having now lost all fear 
of a pursuit, halted for some time when they had com- 
pleted the ascent, in order to give the Princess an 
opportunity of regaining a portion of her strength. 
But the other captives were not allowed to halt, and 
were taken on without delay in the direction of the 
Pohali tower. 

The Princess, on recovering her consciousness, noticed 
a horse grazing near her with nothing but a sack on 
its back. From the mouth of the sack issued a delicate 



FRIED POXY. 



65 



little foot, wearing a child's slipper, which the terrified 
parent instantly recognised with a shudder. The mys- 
terious canvass did indeed contain the Princess's 
daughter Tamara, who, however, was full of life, and 
hastened to throw herself round the neck of her weep- 
ing mother. The mountaineers had fastened her to 
the horse's saddle, and had covered her with the sack 
in order to guard her face from the branches of the 
trees which grew on the hillside. 

The unhappy child was allowed to remain for a short 
time with her mother on the white horse ; but she was 
then taken away and given to one of the Chechnians. 
The little girl screamed ; but the mother was not sorry 
when she was removed, for, in her feeble condition, she 
feared she might lose this one as she had lost Lydia. 

All the Chechnians afterwards stopped for about ten 
minutes at a lake, where they offered up their morning 
prayers. Here the Princess met Eli, a little boy six 
years of age, belonging to the household of Tsenondahl. 
He was riding carelessly on horseback, and imitating 
the Chechnians at their prayers. The Princess asked 
him whether he had seen any of her children, and was 
much rejoiced when she found that he had passed the 
previous night in company with Salome, her eldest 
daughter. 

They continued their journey, bearing constantly to 
the left, through meadows covered with magnificent 
grass. Seeing the feeble condition of the Princess, the 
mountaineers now frequently halted, in order that she 
might enjoy a few minutes' rest. 

At the next general halt, a large party of rnoun- 

F 



66 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



taineers and captives were assembled together. The 
Chechnians killed a pony and fried it for their break- 
fast. The Princess, who was sitting down with Kate- 
rina at her side, heard at a short distance the voice 
of her daughter Tamara, who was conversing with her 
aunt the Princess Orbeliani, and she was much cheered 
by finding that her sister was still alive. 

Here the ague, from which the Princess had already 
suffered, again declared itself. One of the mountaineers 
brought her a cloak to cover herself with. This was 
the very garment in which Lydia had been wrapped up 
until the moment of her death ; and on seeing it the 
Princess could not restrain her tears, which were the 
first she had shed since her captivity, and which afforded 
her no small relief. 

To this flood of tears succeeded hope ; and the anxious 
mother endeavoured to persuade herself that her child 
had by some providential means escaped death. 

In the meantime the foremost of the party had 
already started ; and the servant Katerina began to be 
afraid that her mistress and herself would be left 
behind. But the mountaineers were still at breakfast ; 
and as soon as they had finished, they continued their 
route, conducting the captives along a path which was 
bordered and frequently intercepted by bushes and 
brushwood. In the bushes the Princess noticed some 
very beautiful white flowers which she had never seen 
before. 

The Armenian in the blue chouha and the red cap 
with the chalma now came up and addressed the 
Princess, as before, in excellent Eussian, 



shamil's camp. 



67 



"Princess/' lie commenced, "they say you have lost 
your child." 

"Yes," was the answer. 

" Why did you throw it away then ? The moun- 
taineers tell me you threw it away yourself." 

" How is it you are not ashamed to say such a 
thing ? " replied the Princess. And in a few words she 
related the incident as it had occurred. 

The Armenian made a pretence of comforting her, by 
means of unavailing and common-place assurances, after 
which he said to her, all at once, 

" Do you know, too, that your husband is taken ? " 

" That cannot be," returned the Princess, though at 
the same time her heart was failing her. 

" And why not ? " continued the Armenian, with a 
smile. 

" Because my husband would not allow himself to fall 
alive into the hands of the Chechnians." And with that 
the Princess terminated this hateful conversation. 

Nothing of importance occurred again before the 
party reached the tower of Pohali, if we except certain 
sufferings undergone by the Princess Chavchavadzey. 
For instance, she had to walk some distance on foot, 
along the edge of a precipice. But her swollen feet 
were now quite benumbed ; and she ascended and de- 
scended the steep hills in the vicinity of the Pohali 
tower, without the least pain from the sand and stones 
which strewed her path. 

The prisoners were surprised to hear the sound 
of fire-arms ; but it was explained to them that these 
reports only proceeded from Shamil's camp, where the 

F 2 



68 



CAPTITITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



mountaineers were expressing their joy at the success of 
their attack. 

Approaching still nearer, the captives saw on the hill 
next the tower a number of tents, which they were told 
formed the camp of the Lesghians; and at the very 
gates of the tower they were shown the tent of Shamil 
himself, 



CAUCASIAN ROUGHS. 



69 



CHAP. VI. 

The final hardship with which the prisoners had to 
contend, before reaching their temporary resting-place, 
was the ascent of the hill on which the tower of Pohali 
stands, and which was now occupied by the Lesghian 
camp. 

Having surmounted this last difficulty, they found 
themselves in the midst of the Lesghians, whom they 
observed to be very different in appearance from their 
captors the Chechnians. The Chechnians were of lofty 
stature, elegantly formed, handsome, and richly armed 
and equipped. The Lesghians were short, broad- 
shouldered, ugly, and poorly dressed, but at the same 
time well armed. They were extremely coarse and 
even ferocious in appearance, or, as Madame Drancey 
laconically expressed it, " detail des gens durs." These 
men form the mass of Shamil's army, whereas the 
Chechnians are his picked troops, and are only em- 
ployed by the Iman * for the most daring enterprises. 

The Princess Orbeliani, the Princess Baratoff, Ma- 
dame Drancey, and nearly all the other captives had 
already entered the tower of Pohali, and the Princess 
Chavchavadzey, with her companion Katerina, were 
just approaching the camp, when the men who had es- 
corted them suddenly disappeared among the Lesghians, 

* Shamil styles himself Iman of Chechni and Daghestan. 
F 3 



70 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



fearing, no doubt, that they would be called to account 
for the loss of the Princess's child. The captives were 
left to be surrounded and stared at by a crowd of gaping 
mountaineers ; and their position was becoming insup- 
portable, when a Chechnian rode up, and informed them 
that they were to proceed to Shamil's camp. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey positively refused. She 
was overcome with shame at the costume she was still 
obliged to wear, and declared she would not appear 
before Shamil, nor willingly before any one else, in so 
disgraceful a plight. At the same time she heard the 
voice of a fellow captive proceeding from the tower ; it 
was one of the little girls belonging to the household of 
Tsenondahl, who had perceived her mistress, and was 
now asking her to come to her. Soon afterwards she saw 
an officer in the Eussian uniform hurrying towards her, 
and recognised one of her relatives, Prince Ivan Chav- 
chavadzey. 

Prince Ivan had been left in command of the Pohali 
tower, and, after a desperate defence, had been taken 
prisoner, with the remains of the garrison. This 
garrison, at the moment of the attack, had only consisted 
of thirty peasants serving in the militia, and naturally 
could make no effectual resistance against Shamil's 
entire army. 

The Prince approached his suffering relative with a 
look of despair. He was pale, fearfully depressed, and 
could only utter a few broken phrases, such as — 

" You, Princess ? . . . What a calamity ! . . . 
To the tower . . . you will be quieter there," and 
so forth, 



GEORGIAN IMPROVISATIONS. 



71 



The Princess followed him to Shamil's camp, which 
was closed on all sides, and which stood at the entrance 
to the tower. 

The Princess Orbeliani, who was in the tower when 
her sister arrived there, states that the appearance of 
the latter produced the saddest impression on all present. 

Her chemise, her only remaining garment, was much 
torn ; one of her breasts was terribly swollen ; her dis- 
hevelled hair was now entangled with brambles; her 
shoulders were covered with clotted blood, and her feet, 
inflamed and bleeding, were almost without skin. 

As the exhausted lady tottered into the room, she 
called for a glass of water, but was so enfeebled that she 
could only drink one mouthful. 

The other captives were in a much better state, though 
they also presented a very melancholy picture. The 
room in which they were all collected * was so full, that 
it was impossible to form a passage through them as 
they sat or lay on the ground. They were all crying and 
groaning ; the children were screaming ; and many of the 
peasant women and servants, having reached a state of 
ecstacy, gave vent to their grief in song and improvised 
words appropriate to the situation, which, under the 
circumstances, affected all present. 

In order to comprehend the full force and beauty 
of these improvisations, it is, of course, necessary to be 
acquainted with the Georgian language, which is very 
rich in picturesque and poetical expressions, and has 

* This room was on the ground floor. The one above it was occupied 
by the male prisoners. The top story, with the roof, had been blown 
away by Shamil's artillery. 

F 4 



72 



CAPTITITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



borrowed many of its metaphors and images from the 
East. * The complaints sung by the Georgian captives 
consisted of lamentations on the fate of the Princesses, 
and included snch passages as the following: — "What 
have we lived to see? The flower and light of our 
Kahetia are in the hands of the hated Lesghians. Let 
us forget our own sufferings, and pray for the Princesses 
and their children. With them perish all the beauty 
and all the hope of our Kahetia." 

The evidences of sincere affection contained in the 
words of these Georgian women, expressed, too, in music 
which was in itself deeply affecting, overpowered the 
Princesses; and for some time they could do nothing 
but sob. 

But their attention was soon taken up by their chil- 
dren. The Princess Orbeliani had found her son George, 
and began to nurse him. The Princess Chavchavadzey 
had two of her daughters, Marie and Taniara, sleeping 
by her side ; and she would have felt something like 
composure if she could only have been certain that the 
other two, Salome and Alexander, were safe. 

Among the captives in the tower was the nurse who 
had been so badly wounded at the hill of Khontzhi. She 
had received as many as six sabre (shashJca) cuts. 
The Princess made her change her position, in which she 
was far from being at her ease, laid her down on the 
ground, and did all she could to comfort her. 

At this moment a Georgian girl approached the Prin- 

* Many of the Georgian names are both sonorous and musical, such, 
for instance, as Tsenondahl, Orbeliani, Alazan (pronounced Ah-lah-zahn). 
Tamara, &c. 



A LITTLE ORPHAN. 



73 



cess Chavchavadzey with an infant in her arms, and said 
to her, in a touching voice, " Princess, the Chechnians 
have killed my mother, and have left this little child 
without a nurse. For the last thirty-six hours she has 
been without nourishment, and will die if you do not 
have pity on her and take her to your breast." 

The young Georgian's request was readily complied 
with ; and the infant eagerly satisfied its hunger, and 
then quietly fell asleep. Soon afterwards the Princess 
herself felt much relieved ; and the thought involuntarily 
occurred to her, that Providence, in saving the life of this 
little child, had at the same time sent it to replace for 
a while her little Lydia, and that thus she herself had 
escaped a great danger. 

Vassilissa now entered the tower with her little charge 
Alexander ; but he was in a dreadful condition. He was 
insensible and motionless. His hands and feet swung 
to and fro as he was carried along ; his head was thrown 
back ; his teeth, or rather his gums, were clenched ; and 
his eyes were closed. It afterwards appeared that the 
child had been separated from his wet nurse all the way 
from Tsenondahl, and that he had been almost entirely 
without food. The piece of sugar which the Chechnian 
had given him during the first halt had soon fallen out 
of his hands, and Vassilissa could only give him water 
and, on one occasion, a few nuts, which she had the pre- 
caution to chew before putting them into the infant's 
mouth. The little boy was carried to his distressed 
mother, who instantly fed him, when he gradually re- 
vived, and soon afterwards fell asleep. 

Towards nightfall the captives were supplied with 



74 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



supper, which, consisted of roast mutton, bread, and 
water. The Princess Orbeliani, who had not tasted 
any meat for two days, now could not eat a mouthful. 
The Princess Chavchavadzey took a small piece of bread, 
but was unable to swallow it. The only persons who 
were able to satisfy their hunger were Madame Drancey, 
who had already consoled herself, and the Princess Bara- 
toff, who had suffered less than the others. The Princess 
Baratoff had, moreover, some hope that her captivity 
would be a very short one, some of the captives having 
suggested to her that Shamil, when he was informed of 
the slight resources of her family, would probably allow 
her to be ransomed for a very small sum.* 

Last of all arrived Salome, the Princess Chavcha- 
vadzey's eldest little girl (six years of age), with the 
Chechnians who had conducted her all the way. She 
chattered incessantly, and said that she had met her 
aunt in the wood, and had asked where Lydia was, 
but that she had been unable to obtain an answer. 

The children were now fed and put to sleep ; and the 
rest of the prisoners lay down as they could. 

Early the next morning (July 6th), the prisoners were 
awakened by the trumpets of Shamil's band, who were 
sounding the reveil. The strain was pleasing, and ap- 
peared to be imitated from some of the Russian marches ; 
the execution also was tolerable. 

The prisoners were soon on their feet; and before 

* The Princess BaratofFs father was a poor man, and paralysed. 
Her mother and brothers were no more. Of her two sisters, one lived 
with some distant relatives, and the other was being educated in the 
Institution of the Society of St. Nina at Tiflis. 



SHAMII/S BAND. 



75 



long, Prince Ivan Chavchavadzey entered with his ser- 
vant Simon and the under-officer Patapoff. 

( f We are prisoners here/' said Prince Ivan. 66 How 
it happened we must tell yon another time ; but at 
present we have some good news to give 3^ou. We have 
asked Shamil to allow us to accompany you on the 
journey to Dargi-Vedenno, where you are now to be 
taken ; and Shamil has granted our request." 

The captives were delighted at receiving this informa- 
tion. The prospect of being surrounded by Christians 
and fellow countrymen on their long and difficult journey 
was additionally welcome to them from the fact, that on 
leaving the tower of Pohali they would lose sight of the 
Chechnians and be conducted by the Lesghians, a far 
more brutal, ferocious, and brigandlike tribe. 

Hardly had this news been communicated to the 
prisoners when ShamiPs son, Kazi-Machmat, entered, 
attended by several Naibs. Many of the latter spoke 
Russian fluently. 

Kazi-Machmat asked for the Princess Chavchavadzey, 
The Princess was pointed out to him. She was sitting 
on the floor, and was surrounded by a number of other 
captives. The Xaibs asked after her health, advised her 
to reconcile herself to God's will, spoke to her of fate, 
and assured her that there was no evil without good. 

The Princess answered that it was useless for them to 
attempt to console her ; that she had really suffered the 
worst of her misfortunes, and, consequently, that she 
should be able to support all that awaited her ; and 
finally, that she trusted in the protection of Shamil. 

The Naibs now attempted to justify their incursions 



76 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CATTCASUS. 



into Kahetia, and the attack on Tsenondahl. Tliev 
pretended that they had invaded Georgia in the hope of 
inducing the population to join Shamil (as if the popu- 
lation could find any inducement in having their houses 
pillaged and burned !). They also assured the Princess 
that several of the princes had given in their submission 
to Shamil ; and when she expressed her entire disbelief 
of this statement^ they attenrpted to prove it by ex- 
hibiting: certain documents written in the Georgian 
language, which they declared were the letters to 
Shamil of which they had spoken. The Princess took 
the pretended letters into her hand, and found that they 
were pages torn out of the account -book of the steward 
of an estate in Kahetia. 

" These are not letters, but accounts." said the Princess 
Chavchavadzey as she returned the pages to the Xaibs 
with a smile. 

How can you tell?" they inquired with naivete. 
supposing, no doubt, that the Princess was unable to 
read Georgian. 

" Because I have examined them," answered the 
Princess. 

It afterwards appeared that the Naibs went away and 
informed Shamil of the Princess's lingual acquirements, 
and, in reply 3 were desired to trouble the captives no 
more with their conversation. 

Shamil, who was anxious to commence without delay 
the negotiations for the Princesses' liberation, told them 
to send any letters they chose to their relatives at Tirlis, 
and at the same time supplied them with a sheet of 
paper, a wooden pen, and a piece of wool saturated with 



STATIONERY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



77 



ink — the ordinary writing materials of the Caucasus. 
The Princess Chavchavadzey, indignant at the treatment 
she had been subjected to. and especially at the recent 
imposture attempted by the Xaibs, refused to take ad- 
vantage of the opportunity ; but her sister wrote these 
few lines to General Read * : — 

c< General^ we and the whole family are in captivity. 
We are alive, but in want of everything. Come to our 
assistance, and inform our relatives of our situation. 
Address to us at Shamil's house, Dargi-Vedenno." 

This letter was then signed by the Princess Chavcha- 
vadzey, and given to the messenger. 

Xeither of the Princesses sent a word to Prince David 
Chavchavadzey. They feared lest the mountaineers, 
hearing to whom the letter was to be taken, might 
inform them that he was dead. 

Shamil's messenger went away : and breakfast was 
brought in, consisting, as on the previous day, of roast 
mutton and bread. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey was again unable to 
swallow a mouthful ; but all the others took a certain 
amount of refreshment. 

During the breakfast, a man with a white chalma 
round his cap, handsome as to features, but repulsive in 
expression, made his appearance. This was the Murid 
who had captured Madame Drancey, and conducted her 
from Tsenondahl to the Pohali tower. He invited the 
Princess Chavchavadzey to accompany him to Shamil ; 

* Commander-in-chief of the corps d'armee of the Caucasus, and 
civil governor of the Caucasian and Trans -Caucasian provinces. 



78 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



but the Princess answered that she was astonished 
Shamil had not asked to see her before, as he had had 
such important things to say to her, which he had 
nevertheless preferred to communicate through his son 
and the Xaibs, and that she could not understand what 
he had to tell her now. In conclusion, she added that 
she did not believe Shamil had expressed any desire to 
see her at all. 

K If you are afraid, take your sister with you," con- 
tinued the MuricL 

" I shall neither go myself, nor allow my sister to 
go," answered the Princess sharply. " I have already 
said," she continued, " that in this dress I cannot pre- 
sent myself to any of your chiefs." 

Perplexed by the angry and determined tone of the 
Princess's replies, the Murid turned silently away and 
retired. Indeed it was generally remarked that a bold, 
decided bearing always had its effect upon the moun- 
taineers, who were evidently surprised and confused at 
meeting with direct opposition from their captives. This 
opposition proceeding from women, was only the more 
effective. The tribes of the Caucasus treat their own 
women so much like slaves, that the notion of a woman 
being disobedient had probably never entered their heads. 
Accordingly, when the Princesses refused to obey the 
orders of their captors, the latter were at first astounded, 
then abashed, and finally looked upon their prisoners 
with something like reverence. 

When the Murid had gone, some of Shamil's personal 
attendants entered the room, and proposed that the 
captives should select one of their party to go to Shamil's 



THE CAPTIVES' TOILETTE. 



79 



tent, and choose from among the spoil whatever clothing 
they might require. The Princesses turned round to the 
servants ; and one of them instantly volunteered to set 
off on the proposed mission. This was the laundress 
Varvara, a Polish woman, who went straight to Shamil's 
tent, where she found the Mountain Chief, with two of 
his Murids on guard by his side. In the corners and 
along the sides cf the tent were heaps of bundles ; and 
the servant was told to take whichever she liked. Na- 
turally enough she chose the largest, and carried it forth- 
with to her mistress. 

The bundle contained, among other things, the follow- 
ing : — a dark silk blouse, a katiba * (which had already 
been stripped of its pearls and buttons), several pairs of 
stockings, and a number of shoes, which, however, were 
all of the same size and for the same foot. Marie, the 
Princess Chavchavadzey's second daughter, had counted 
upon obtaining some kind of chaussure ; but she was 
obliged to remain barefooted for the present. 

The articles were divided among the captives accord- 
ing to their various wants. The Princess Chavchavadzey's 
costume was of the most fantastic character. Her hair 
was gathered up and confined by a bright-coloured 
cotton handkerchief. Her figure was enveloped in the 
dark silk blouse, over which she wore the katiba, which 
was made of crimson velvet. 

When the female captives had finished dressing 
themselves, they looked through the door, and saw 

* A katiba is a very pretty cloak, or mantle, worn in Georgia. It is 
usually made of velvet, and embroidered round the neck with pearls, 
while the edges are trimmed with sable or some other fur. 



80 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



the Georgian militiamen and peasants, who were coming 
down stairs from the first floor. 

The men had a careworn and exhausted look, which 
excited considerable sympathy among the women, while 
the sufferings of the latter, of course, produced a pro- 
found impression on the men. The male and female 
captives were making an attempt at mutual consolation, 
when the Lesghians interrupted the conversation by 
telling them all to prepare for the road ; and in a few 
minutes the prisoners, who had scarcely recovered from 
the fatigue of their former journey, had now to set off on 
one which was to last twenty-two days. 



shamil's passpokt system. 



81 



CHAP. VII. 

At the outset of the journey, Prince Ivan gave his horse 
up to the Princess Chavchavadzey ; but the Lesghians 
soon provided her with another, which is described as 
having been singularly ugly, but equally quiet and com- 
fortable to ride upon. Before the prisoners started, all 
their names were written down, and a separate conductor 
was appointed to each. The Princess Chavchavadzey, 
accompanied by Prince Ivan, went in front of the rest ; 
but stopping and looking back, she saw her sister on 
horseback, waiting at the gate of the tower, where she 
appeared to be expecting some one. In the sequel it 
appeared that the Princess Orbeliani and some of the 
other prisoners had been delayed in order to assist in 
some new project of registration, the Princess being called 
upon to give her own name, her sister's, and those of all 
the captives who had been taken from the house at 
Tsenondahl. 

At last the whole party were in motion, escorted now 
by Lesghians, and not as before by Chechnians, all of 
whom had taken another route after leaving the tower of 
Pohali. The Chechnians, as has been already observed, are 
to the Lesghians what in other nations the aristocracy are 
to the working classes. The brutality of the Lesghians 
was not long in showing itself. One of them having 

a 



82 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



quarrelled about something or other with George Orbe- 
liani's wet nurse, wished to kill the child; and would 
certainly have done so but for the interference of Prince 
Chavchavadzey, who snatched the child from the hands 
of the Lesghian. The affair ended here, and the child 
was saved ; but soon afterwards Prince Ivan was punished 
for his audacity by having his arms tied behind him. 

In course of time the party arrived at a narrow 
passage between two lofty heights, when all the prisoners, 
with the exception of the Princess Chavchavadzey, were 
ordered to dismount, as they would soon have to ascend 
a steep, rocky hill. In this ascent the Princess had 
considerable difficulty in keeping on her horse, a difficulty 
which was much increased by her having to hold up 
little Alexander's wet nurse, who besides her foster-son 
was carrying his sister Tamara. Fortunately some of 
the militiamen from the Pohali tower were near, and 
assisted the nurse in supporting her double burden. 

After a difficult ascent there was, as usual, a descent 
of equal difficulty, and this second slope was remarkable 
for being covered with snow which was not yet melted, 
— a sight which, though striking, is by no means rare 
in the mountains of the Caucasus ; for on one side of 
an elevation you may find all the fertility of the South, 
while on the opposite one (supposing it to have a 
northern aspect), there will be perpetual snow. 

On this snowy descent the Princess Chavchavadzey 
was taken off her horse and supported by the moun- 
taineers as she walked, which, however, did not prevent 
her from sinking nearly two feet into the snow. Little 
Tamara, who was afraid of falling, began to cry; and one 



LESGHIAX NURSES, 



83 



of the Lesghians had to take the other child; Alexander, 
from the nurse, and give him to Prince Ivan, who, 
with all his willingness to carry him, had a great deal of 
trouble in doing so, from the fact that his elbows were 
tied together. However, he managed somehow or other 
to hold him. 

Having descended the whole length of the snowy- 
slope, the prisoners found themselves on the banks of 
a river. Here the Princess Chavchavadzey was much 
alarmed by the fall of her little boy's wet nurse, who 
was riding with Tamara in her arms. The saddle 
turned under her, but in falling neither herself nor the 
child were injured. 

The party had soon afterwards to ascend another 
height by a spiral path, which occupied five hours. 
Being in advance, the Princess Chavchavadzey could not 
see any of her companions until she found herself at the 
top, when she paused, not for rest, but in order to wait 
for the others. From this point the Princess could see 
the whole of the captives of Tsenondahl, who were 
ascending on foot, and holding on to their horses' tails. 
When they had all reached the summit, the Princess 
Orbeliani told her sister of the accident which had 
happened to little Tamara. The child had become sepa- 
rated from her brother's wet nurse, and was inconsolable 
for her loss. Her crying put the Lesghians out of 
patience. They placed her on the ground, and left her 
there alone, about halfway up the hill. Fortunately 
for the weeping and forsaken child, the Princess 
Orbeliani soon came to her, accompanied by some 

G 2 



84 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



militiamen^ who took her in their arms and earned 
her up the height. 

On the whole the presence of the militiamen was 
highly beneficial to the captives, who on several occa- 
sions received invaluable services from them. 

A little further on the Princess Chavchavadzey, who 
was still in front of the others, had a great deal of 
trouble in going up a steep path which was intercepted 
in many places by brushwood. Prince Ivan went up to 
her with little Alexander in his arms. The child had a " 
piece of unmelted snow on his lips. (i I have been car- 
rying him all day/' said the Prince, " and have been 
waiting in vain for his wet nurse. But she is some 
distance behind, and I am obliged to give the child 
snow to quiet it a little. Don't be indignant, Princess, 
if I even let him fall, for you see I have not full 
power over my arms." 

The Princess turned round to her conductor and 
asked permission to take the child herself.* But he 
refused, under the pretext that she had been described 
in the list of prisoners as travelling alone, and not with 
her son. Fortunately about this time several of the 
women came up, and among them was the wet nurse, 
who had again taken possession of little Tamara, and 
who was now accompanied by Varvara the laundress. 
The Princess told the nurse to give Tamara to the 
laundress, and to take Alexander from the Prince. The 
nurse did so, but at the same time observed that she 
was herself so exhausted with walking that she was not 

* The captives had no trouble in conversing with the Lesghians, 
many of whom speak Knssian, or. at all events. Georgian. 



THE MARAUDERS AT PRAYER. 



85 



sure she could carry the child. The Princess accord- 
ingly requested the Lesghians to give the nurse another 
horse. The Lesghians made a great fuss, getting off and 
on their horses and changing them ; but as the Princess 
was at this moment sent on in front, she could not see 
whether the nurse was provided with the horse as re- 
quested, or whether she was forced to continue her 
journey on foot. 

In the meantime night was coming on, and all the 
prisoners were dreadfully fatigued, but there was as yet 
no sign of any intention to stop. Some time after- 
wards the wished-for halt was made. The Lesghian 
w*ho was conducting the Princess took her off her 
horse, invited her to sit down on the grass, and began 
to pray. On this, as on all subsequent occasions, 
the Princess observed that the Chechnians and Les- 
ghians were most fervent in their devotions, becoming 
thoroughly absorbed in their performance, and utterly 
unconscious of everything around them. 

During this halt she observed among the captives, 
as they arrived, the wife of the clerk of the Kizishevi 
church — a young and beautiful woman. Her con- 
ductor exchanged a few words with the Lesghian who 
was accompanying the Princess, and then began to call 
to the prisoners who were behind. Madame Drancey 
next came up, and entered into conversation with the 
Princess Chavchavadzey. They were both astonished at 
the change which appeared to have come over them: 
now they feared nothing, and were comparatively insen- 
sible to pain. 

The Princess had to separate from Madame Drancey 

G 3 



86 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



when they started afresh,, but before they parted she 
addressed the following request to the governess of her 
children : — 

" I feel/' she commenced, " that I shall never arrive 
at our destination. If I should die on the road, take 
care of my little ones, and do all you can to lessen their 
misfortune." 

" You may be assured," replied Madame Drancey with 
earnestness, " that I will do ail that is in my power for 
them." 

The Lesghians were anxious to pass the night in the 
nearest aoul* ; and accordingly, in spite of the darkening 
twilight, the prisoners had to continue their journey. 
The Princess Chavchavadzey, as she descended the last 
slope — walking, and leaning on the arm of her con- 
ductor, who at the same time led her horse, — saw on the 
other side of a river, which ran at the foot of the moun- 
tain, a number of lights. These lights proceeded from 
a collection of aouls. 

When they reached the river, which was not very 
wide, the conductor placed the Princess on her horse, 
and jumped up behind her. In this manner they 
crossed the stream. On the other side they were joined 
by a girl of about twelve years of age, who was on 
horseback, and rode at great speed. The Princess 
asked her where the other captives from Tsenondahl 
were. The girl answered that they were gradually 
advancing. 

Shortly before midnight they reached one of the 
aouls, with which the nearest mountain was dotted 

* The aouls are the villages of the Caucasus j for the most part, mere 
collections of huts. 



Iff A COW-SHED. 



87 



all over. The Princess, as she passed the huts, heard 
the Georgian language spoken in nearly every one. 
This was explained by the fact that a number of prisoners 
from Georgia had already been brought to this aoid, 
and distributed among the huts which composed it. 
Some of the prisoners asked the Princess what part of 
Georgia she had been taken from, and were much asto- 
nished when she informed them that she came from 
Tsenondahl. 

The Princess was put to pass the night in a cattle- 
shed. This shed was divided into three compartments 
by means of branches. The first was full of cattle ; the 
second contained Lesghians, who lost no time in making 
a fire on the earthen floor, and preparing their supper ; 
and the Princess was taken into the third, which was 
already occupied by Prince Ivan, six militiamen, and 
several women from Tsenondahl and other parts. 

To the Princess's inquiries about her children, Prince 
Ivan could only answer that he had not seen them lately, 
and that they were being taken on by a different road, 
which was said to be much shorter than the one by which 
the Princess was travelling. 

Having taken up their positions as well as they could 
in this dismal, dirty, and suffocating caravansary, the 
prisoners were even then not sure that this was the 
worst they would have to experience, for there were a 
number of captives not yet arrived. 

At midnight voices were heard outside the cow-shed, 
and immediately afterwards the Princess Baratoff entered 
with Marie Chavchavadzey (who was now always with her) 
and the nurse who had been so terribly wounded. 

G 4 



88 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



"Is my aunt Varvara Elinichna* here?" said the 
Princess Baratoff, who, to the astonishment of the 
prisoners, had preserved all her costume intact, and 
possessed even her rings and the valuable pins which 
fastened her tavsakravi.^ 

She was informed that the Princess Orbeliani had not 
yet arrived. 

As soon as her eyes became accustomed to the obscu- 
rity of the cow-shed, the Princess Baratoff recognised 
most of her friends, and sat down by the side of the 
Princess Chavchavadzey, to share her grief, which was 
now as intense as on the first night after her capture. 
She imagined her sister and children, of whom she could 
hear nothing, must have met with some terrible accident. 
Neither of the Princesses could sleep, and at dawn they 
were still awake and anxiously expecting the arrival of 
their relations, of which, however, there was no sign. 

In the morning, July 7th, they were allowed to go 
out into the fresh air. Here they were surrounded by 
a number of female prisoners from various villages 
in Kahetia, among whom they noticed an Armenian 
woman, the wife of a merchant named Antonoff. She 
had been taken with her four children, the eldest of 
whom was not more than five years old. She carried 
each in turn, and sometimes the three youngest all at 
once. The women had scarcely become acquainted with 
one another when they perceived that they had been 
joined by a stranger. This was a Chechnian named 
Nishka. He spoke Eussian fluently, and going up to the 

* That is to say, Varvara the daughter of Eli. 
f The rich head-dress of Georgia. 



A MOUNTAIN BREAKFAST. 



89 



Princess Chavchavadzey, whom he at once discovered, 
informed her that he had been told to meet the captives 
at this place, prepare their breakfast, and conduct them 
to the aoul of Dido. 

After hearing what he had to say, the Princess replied 
that that was well enough, but that she felt more inter- 
ested about the fate of her sister and children. 

"Do not disturb yourself about them," answered 
Nishka, " I have already sent to inquire for them, and 
am now expecting the answer. When we leave this aoul 
you shall join them, and continue your journey in their 
company." 

A few minutes afterwards a messenger arrived with 
the news that the other prisoners were halting on the 
road by which the Princess Chavchavadzey and her party 
would have to pass. The Princess did not altogether 
believe this, thinking the Chechnian was only anxious to 
tranquillise her, and make her partake of the food he 
had prepared. In spite of her suspense she managed 
to eat some of the breakfast, which was much better 
than any other meal that was offered to them either 
before or afterwards. It consisted of warm boiled milk, 
fresh mountain cheese, and newly made lavashi.* 

After breakfast they all rose and continued their 
journey, those who belonged to the Chavchavadzey 
family receiving each a separate horse. Prince Ivan 
had his own horse, which had been taken with him at the 
tower of Pohali. His arms were still tied, and were not 
set at liberty until the party entered the aoul of Dido, 

* That is to say, bread in the form of muffins or crumpets, of various 
thicknesses and dimensions. 



90 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Behind him rode little Marie, whom the Lesghians had 
attached firmly to his saddle. The Prince's horse, un- 
controlled by its rider, and unaccustomed to the bad 
roads and the wild nature of the country, was constantly 
starting and losing its footing on the steep slopes. This 
was a new and incessant cause of anxiety to the Princess 
Chavchavadzey. She feared the horse would fall and 
crush her little girl, who, as has been said, was tied 
to the saddle. 

The fears of the mother were not long being par- 
tially realised. The prisoners had to pass a river, which, 
though narrow, descended at such a steep incline that 
it resembled a small waterfall. In crossing this stream 
it was necessary at the same time to ascend it, so as to 
meet the current. The captives, some on horseback 
and others on foot, performed this difficult operation in 
safety, with the exception of Prince Chavchavadzey, 
whose horse for some time would not approach the 
stony bed as the foaming cascade poured noisily over it. 
The animal began by kicking, and ended by dismount- 
ing his rider and the little girl who had been tied to the 
saddle. The Princess flew to her daughter, who fortu- 
nately had not suffered much from her fall. Her elbow 
was slightly bruised, but that was all, and Marie soon 
made her mamma laugh by getting into a passion with 
General Eead, who, when playing with her in his garden 
at Tiflis about a month previously, had caused her to 
slip and hurt the very same arm. 

The Tsenondahl captives had now been joined by 
a number of others from different parts of Kahetia ; 
in consequence of which they travelled at a much 



CHILDREN m THE CAUCASUS, 



91 



slower pace, while the addition to their party had also 
the effect of increasing considerably its original and 
picturesque appearance. Among various peculiar figures 
and groups, the Princess Chavchavadzey was particu- 
larly struck by the appearance of the unhappy little 
children in their sacks dano-lino; on each side of the 
donkeys across whose backs they were attached. The 
Princess also remembered the painful effect produced 
on the captives by the trophies of the Lesghians, some 
of whom bore long poles with human hands * fastened 
to the top. 

But above all the Princess was impressed by the con- 
duct of two captive children — the sons of a Kahetian 
priest — who were taking care of their younger sister. 

The eldest was a boy of fourteen, who had been 
wounded in the head, and who from loss of blood was 
so pale and so weak that his death seemed imminent 
at every step. Notwithstanding this he would not 
leave his sister for an instant, but carried her in his 
arms, until at last he fell down utterly exhausted. As 
he was expiring he confided the little girl to his brother, 
who was about twelve years of age, with an injunction 
not to give her up to any one, but to take care of her 
himself to the very last moment. 

Altogether there was a great deal of heroism dis- 
played by the Christian captives, and a considerable 
amount of barbarity by their Mussulman conductors 
During the passage of the torrent, the Princess Baratoff 
observed one of the Georgian children, who had been 
separated from its mother, crying violently, to the great 
* Hands or arms. The Kussian word rovM means both, 



92 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



annoyance of the Lesghian who had taken charge of it. 
The mountaineer at last took the child by the legs, 
dashed its brains out against a rock, and threw it 
towards the abyss which received the stream somewhat 
lower down. 

As the captives proceeded on their tedious journey 
they came to a beautiful wood, in which the Princess 
Chavchavadzey found the rest of her party waiting for her, 
as the Chechnian had predicted. To their general delight 
the captives from Tsenondahl were once more all together. 
The Princess dismounted and found herself in the midst 
of those dearest to her. Here, too, she met the Georgian 
girl with her motherless infant, who now received another 
meal, after which the Princess fed her son Alexander. 
The little infant, the chance nursling of the Princess, 
was the daughter of a Georgian priest, and having 
lost her mother, was travelling under the care of her 
sister, being generally thrown across a donkey in one 
of those sacks which so alarmed the Princess for the 
fate of the children within. 

The captives were assembled in a wood of pines which 
had all the appearance of a well-kept park. Here they 
formed into a number of groups, and the Princess 
Chavchavadzey at last ascertained what had happened to 
her sister since their last meeting. 

The Princess Orbeliani left the tower of Pohali long 
after her sister. She had all the children with her ex- 
cept Marie, who had gone on with the Princess Baratoff. 
They all slept in a wood in the midst of a swamp, 
suffering very much from cold and damp. The children 
were put to lie down on cloaks, but the women had 



A DAMP BED. 



93 



no choice but to sleep on the marshy soil. After such 
a night's lodging as this, the Princess Orbeliani na- 
turally felt feverish, and towards dawn became so ill 
that in attempting to reach a hole which contained 
snow, she was obliged to relinquish all idea of assuaging 
her thirst, and actually fell before she could reach the 
spot to which she had been directing her steps. It must 
be remembered, too, that from the beginning of her 
captivity until that time, the 7th July, she had not once 
partaken freely of food. 

In addition to dampness, cold, and ague, a very dis- 
agreeable scene happened to the Princess during the 
night. Some old peasant woman of Kahetia saw with 
anger that she had at last obtained a horse-cloth to lie 
upon. The old woman was jealous of the advantage 
conceded to the Princess, and overwhelmed her with 
abuse, complaining at the same time that princes and 
princesses fared better everywhere than common people. 
At last she attempted to take the cloth by force, al- 
though it was of but little use as a protection against the 
swampy bed, and the Princess Orbeliani was at the time 
suffering much from fever and exhaustion. 

At dawn, about four o'clock, the prisoners, still fatigued 
and trembling from cold, had to rise and proceed on 
their journey. 

On her road to the wood of pines, where she was 
joined by the party of the Princess Chavchavadzey, the 
Princess Orbeliani experienced no remarkable adventures, 
if we except a rather gratifying interview with a stranger. 
One of the male captives, a Georgian with his hands 
tied, recognised the Princess who now saw him for the 



94 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



first time, and in conversing with her showed that he 
was very familiar with everything concerning her late 
husband and all his family. This conversation, though 
of a melancholy nature, nevertheless brought back many 
pleasing recollections to the mind of the Princess. The 
stranger gave the children some koumeli *, which they 
continued to eat until they reached the wood, where a 
better fare awaited them. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey and Prince Ivan had 
brought with them from the last aoul a lump of bread 
and a mutton bone, which they had succeeded in secreting 
in the cow-shed. The Princess Orbeliani had at last an 
opportunity of appeasing her hunger, and did so to some 
extent, as she at the same time distributed bread and 
meat among the women and children around her. 
When the meal was finished, the Princess and all who 
had partaken of it were still hungry, but there was 
nothing more to be had. 

After this very scanty breakfast, the Princess enjoyed 
a very long rest, when they again started on their way 
to ShamiPs house. However long a halt might last, 
they never continued their journey without great un- 
willingness, so disheartening were the difficulties they 
had to contend with all along their road. Nevertheless, 
on going away from their beautiful, shady, resting- 
place in the wood of pines, they were consoled by the 
thought that they would enjoy a good night's rest in 
the aoul of Dido, which was not far distant. They 

* A preparation of flour. The people in the mountains moisten it 
with water, and roll it between their hands into a kind of paste, which 
they eat in the absence of anything better. 



HOSPITALITY AT DIDO. 



95 



reached this aoul without much suffering themselves, 
but not without witnessing a great deal that was 
undergone by others. Halfway on the road to Dido, 
the Tsenondahl party, now considerably augmented, 
was again increased by a number of prisoners, also 
from Kahetia, who had been travelling by a different 
road. 

Among the new arrivals was an Armenian priest, 
who was walking in the midst of his family. When the 
venerable old man could proceed no further, his sons and 
daughters held him up : but it frequently happened 
that the support he obtained from his devoted family 
was not sufficient, and he would then stop, and perhaps 
fall down from exhaustion. His barbarous conductors 
beat him most unmercifully, regarding neither his age, 
nor his weakness, nor his wounded condition — for he 
had been bleeding profusely from the leg, which was 
without a bandage and now much inflamed. Throughout 
all this ill treatment the Christian minister did not 
utter one complaint or one reproach, but, in accordance 
with his character as a preacher of the gospel, bore all 
his sufferings and humiliations with patience, and thus 
gave an example of patience and long-suffering to others. 
" Christ bore more than this for our sins," he said to 
those around; "and shall we not suffer for our own 
transgressions ? " 

The example and exhortations of the old man had a 
powerful effect on the other captives ; and the Princesses 
in particular have testified to the effect it had upon 
themselves, in enabling them to meet the difficulties 
which still awaited them. 



96 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



It was not until sunset that the prisoners reached 
Dido, without having eaten or rested since the morning. 
In the meanwhile the abstinence and indefatigability 
of the Lesghians astonished every one. They ate 
scarcely anything during the whole journey. Occa- 
sionally they would gather some wild flowers or grass 
from the meadows, and with such food as this they 
would satisfy themselves for several days together. 

Immediately in front of the aoul called Dido was a 
lofty height, at the foot of which ran a clear, sparkling 
river. On the banks of this stream the captives were 
met by some of the women of the place, who crowded like 
savages round the Princess Baratoff, to examine her 
Georgian costume, and pressed upon her so eagerly 
that she would have fallen into the river, but for her 
conductor, who drove them away. 

The captives were badly received at Dido. A crowd 
collected from all parts, assailed them with sticks and 
stones ; and none of the inhabitants would consent to 
receive them into their houses. 



A NIGHT WITH THE EEES. 



97 



CHAP. VIII. 

At last, however, the captives found shelter in this in- 
hospitable aovX. The hut to which they were admitted 
was an excellent specimen of mountain architecture. In 
the courtyard was a hill, which it was necessary to 
ascend in order to get to the second floor of the house. 
From the second floor a steep, narrow staircase, with a 
trap-door at the top, led to a flat roof, half of which was 
covered, while the other half was quite open. In the 
covered compartment the female prisoners were placed, 
close to the family beehive. The open portion of the 
roof was allotted to the men. 

Soon after the arrival of the captives, a Moulla* 
entered and told them that he had once been a prisoner in 
Eussia, and that he had been exchanged for the Princess 
Orbeliani's husband. This circumstance, as the Moulla 
assured them, had inspired him with feelings of gratitude 
towards the Orbeliani family, and he had accordingly 
solicited Shamil's permission to conduct the prisoners to 
Dargi-Vedenno, and had at once obtained it. 

The position of the captives beneath the curtains 
in the pure open air would have been highly favourable 
to their repose, had it not been for the bees, which flew 

* Elder of a village. 
H 



98 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



out of the hives, and caused them considerable annoy- 
ance. The children, above all, were much frightened, 
and not without reason, for several of them were 
stung severely. For some time sleep was out of the 
question, and the elder captives were fully occupied 
consoling the younger, and defending them from the 
the bees, which attacked them perpetually. There was 
another circumstance which had a great effect upon the 
captives, and especially upon the Princess Chavchav- 
adzey. The children, who could not go to sleep, were 
constantly turning to the latter, and asking her such 
questions, as, "Why are we here?" and "Why is papa 
not with us ? " and " Where is Lydinka ? " * and so forth. 

This infantine prattle went to the mother's heart, 
and, while it recalled to her all the details of her past 
sufferings, at the same time kept her in a state of 
incessant agitation respecting the fate of her husband 
and child — for she had not yet ascertained positively 
that the latter was no more. The mental sufferings of 
the Princess were so great on this occasion that her 
usual energy quite deserted her, and she became gloomy 
and despondent. As a proof of her extreme dejection, it 
may be mentioned that she was almost unconscious of 
what was taking place around her, and that afterwards 
she was utterly unable to remember what occurred in the 
a o u I of Dido. The account of the adventures which befell 
the captives while passing the night on the roof of the 
hut, and subsequently when they recommenced their 
journey to Dargi-Vedenno, was communicated by the 
Princess Orbeliani,— her sister, whose memory was most 

* Diminutive of Lydia. 



THE BENEVOLENT MOULLA. 



99 



exact as regarded all the other incidents of the capti- 
vity, having failed to remember a single particular. 

In the midst of the Princess Chavchavadzey's distress 
a comforter appeared in the shape of the Moulla, who 
was afterwards known among the captives as "the 
benevolent Moulla," thanks to his constant sjn^ipathy for 
their fate. The old man advised them not to grieve, 
offered them some of the delicacies of the mountains, 
and, as a proof of the interest he took in them, assured 
them that they should not be separated again all the 
way to Dargi-Vedenno. 

It was late when the captives went to sleep. The 
nexth morning, July 8th, Prince Yagnadzey, another 
prisoner, joined them. At mid-day they all left Dido, 
and Prince Chavchavadzey at last had his arms set at 
liberty. 

A painful thing occurred just before they started* 
Nina, the servant who had offered to give up her clothes 
to the Princess Chavchavadzey, and who had assisted 
and consoled her in the wood the night she was attacked 
by ague, was left without a horse. The " benevolent 
Moulla" promised she should have one in less than 
an hour after the departure of the other captives, when, 
with a little haste, she would be able to catch them up. 
The Princesses thought there was something suspicious in 
this delay of an hour, but could not understand what 
motive the mountaineers could have for detaining a 
middle-aged and rather ugly woman of the lower 
classes, for whom it was out of the question to expect 
a large ransom. The Princesses begged the Moulla 
not to allow Nina to be separated from them ; but he 

H 2 



100 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



was insensible to argument, and continued to assure 
them that Xina would soon catch them up. There was 
no alternative but to yield ; and, with a sad foreboding, 
the Princesses were forced to leave their devoted servant 
behind them in Dido. Their presentiments proved 
true. Nina never rejoined them. She continued in 
captivity, but it is not even known in what aoul she 
remained. 

The road from Dido was up a hill and along a narrow 
path from which the earth was constantly breaking 
away. This caused the Princesses considerable alarm, 
on account of the children. Salome, who was tied to 
the saddle, was riding on her horse by herself. The 
Lesghian saddle was too hard and too broad, and the 
child cried without cessation, both from fright and from 
pain. Her conductor, who was probably annoyed at 
the noise she was making, removed her from the 
saddle, placed her on the groimd, and left her. This 
scene took place in the rear of the whole party, and 
accordingly the forsaken Salome might very easily have 
remained where she was left for ever. But fortunately 
the Princess Orbeliani saw her niece seated on the 
groimd, and insisted, with firmness, on her being re- 
placed on the horse. It will be remembered that the 
Princess Orbeliani had saved Tamara under similar cir- 
cumstances the day before. 

Soon afterwards little George, the Princess Orbeliani's 
son, was exposed to a danger of a more immediate 
character. The child was in the arms of his wet nurse, 
whose horse was ascending by a most dangerous path 
which gave way at every moment. Suddenly the horse 



DISAPPEARANCE OF A HORSE. 



101 



slipped and fell into a pit sixteen or seventeen feet 
deep. Fortunately there was a tree growing near the 
edge, to which the nurse clung, while she still kept the 
little boy in the skirt of her dress, holding up the ex- 
tremity with her teeth. The horse was afterwards 
pulled up and found to have suffered injury. 

The Princess Orbeliani had not witnessed this acci- 
dent, and consequently escaped the severe shock which 
she would otherwise have received. 

In the next o.oul the captives were for the first time 
received with general kindness and hospitality by the 
inhabitants. Here, too, were the first beautiful women 
they had seen since reaching the mountains. Their 
costume was exceedingly picturesque, the most remark- 
able part of it being the head-dress, which was deco- 
rated with metal rings, coins, and other glittering orna- 
ments. These mountain beauties were equally affable 
and handsome. They went out to meet the captives as 
they approached the aoul, and showed the greatest at- 
tention to George Orbeliani's wet nurse, who had fallen 
ill. At the same time an old man of venerable aspect 
came forth and informed the captives that he had been 
acquainted with the late Prince David Chavchavadzey, 
and asked whether the Princess was his daughter-in- 
law. Having been answered in the affirmative, he 
invited the captives to his own house. The party 
from Tsenondahl were now again united ; and the 
hospitable old man treated them all to fresh cheese, 
milk, and excellent bread. Not satisfied with merely 
offering the prisoners this repast, he was also most 
earnest in his attempts to console and comfort them 3 

H 3 



102 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



and altogether showed much genuine sympathy. Amono- 
other things he assured the captives that they would 
certainly have their liberty in less than two months. 
He also dressed the wounds of the nurse who had 
suffered so much at the hill of Kontzhi. 

The old man's kindness had a great effect on his 
accidental visitors, especially as this was the first time 
they had received any genuine hospitality since they 
had commenced their journey. 

On the morning of the 9th of July the prisoners left 
the friendly aoul, and continued to ascend and descend 
the mountains, of which some were rocky and barren, 
while others were covered with wood. On the latter 
they frequently found avalanches which had rolled 
down from the summit, but were not expected to 
melt until the middle of July. Sometimes they had to 
pass over these masses of snow, into which the horses 
sank to their girths, while the one which bore the 
motherless Georgian, the sister of the Princess's little 
nursling, absolutely disappeared with his rider. The 
Georgian girl was, however, rescued. Fortunately she 
had started from the last aoul without the baby, w^ho, 
after being carefully enveloped in a sack, had been 
honoured with a horse to herself. 

The prisoners now thought it safer to walk; but 
each step caused considerable pain to the Princess 
Chavchavadzey, whose wounded foot was much inflamed. 
During a long and very steep descent, the Princess was 
unable to proceed, and had to be carried to the bot- 
tom of the slope, a considerable distance, by Prince 
Vagnadzey and the under-officer Patapoff. The ob- 



AS AFFECTIONATE RECEPTION. 



103 



staeles which had to be snrmonnted during this day's 
journey were very numerous: and those who know any- 
thing of the nature of the country in Chechni and 
Daghestan will at once understand how much the 
women must have suffered. It was the most fatiguing 
day, as regarded mere travelling, that they had yet 
passed; for they were now in the most mountainous 
district, and had been riding or walking from morning 
until sunset when, for the first time, they halted. After 
waiting for some time on the banks of a river, in the 
vicinity of an aoul where they had hoped to pass the 
night, they had again to continue their journey. The 
Princess Orbeliani was now allowed to carry her niece 
Tamara; but the Lesghians would not allow her to ride, 
so careful were they not to fatigue their horses. 

The river on whose banks the party had made a tem- 
porary halt was very circuitous ; and they had alter- 
nately to ford it and follow its course for a considerable 
period. At last they came to a lofty and almost per- 
pendicular mountain, which they had to ascend by a 
spiral and, as it appeared to the travellers, interminable 
path. On the summit of the mountain they found an 
aoul sufficiently populous and important to possess a 
mosque, in front of which the Lesghians assembled. 
The captives were soon surrounded by a crowd of in- 
habitants, who distinguished themselves by their rude- 
ness and brutality, not only pressing against them, but 
even pulling their clothes and turning their heads 
round, so as to get a full view of their faces. This dis- 
agreeable inspection might have continued for an in- 
definite number, had it not been for the " benevolent 

H 4 



104 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Moulla," who had accompanied them all the way from 
Dido, and who now led them to a house in the centre 
of the aoul. This house was distinguished from all the 
others by a large balcony, which, as the captives per- 
ceived on the following morning, was painted a bright 
red. 

About eighty prisoners entered, when the women were 
conducted into a large room without windows, but which 
received air and light from a door opening on to the 
before-mentioned balcony. In this balcony the men 
were placed. 

The prisoners remained in their balcony and their 
room without windows for about a week, that is to say, 
until the 16th July. It will be easily believed that they 
had no small amount of discomfort to put up with during 
their stay in the " House of the Cheese," as they named 
their habitation, for a reason that will afterwards be 
explained. The balcony was at the same time the 
roof of a shed in which horses, asses, and oxen, were 
kept. Accordingly its atmosphere was infected by a 
suffocating stench from below, which afterwards pene- 
trated through the door into the room occupied by 
the female captives. This door could not be closed 
without excluding all light and air from the room. Con- 
sequently it had to remain open ; and the effluvium from 
the shed beneath the balcony was added to the other 
severe inconveniences inseparable from the confinement 
of so many persons in one apartment. By way of com- 
pleting the wretchedness of their position, the moun- 
taineers now gave them miserable food ; and for some days 
they had nothing to eat but hinkal — that is to say, a kind 



THE HOUSE OF THE CHEESE. 



105 



of paste made out of flour and water, which was equally 
offensive in aspect and in flavour, and which even the 
children could not swallow without considerable disgust. 
None of the female prisoners were allowed to go out ; but 
some of the men were sent twice a day to fetch water. 
The impurity of the atmosphere, together with the bad- 
ness of the food, the total want of exercise, and the 
uncleanliness which, under the circumstances, was ine- 
vitable, soon affected the health of the captives far more 
seriously than mere fatigue and insufficient nourishment 
had done. They were nearly all attacked by an illness 
of the nature of cholera, while the children, in addition 
to this, were nearly persecuted to death by vermin. The 
first thing necessary — among those things that were 
possible — was to cut all the children's hair off. But 
even this was no easy matter ; for when asked for scissors, 
the mountaineers could only offer the captives large 
clumsy shears, such as they used for shearing their sheep. 

At last some Eussian money, which Prince Ivan Chav- 
chavadzey had managed to keep concealed in the lining 
of his cap, was turned to account, and the prisoners 
obtained a supply of bread, fowls, eggs, and sour milk. 
These provisions were only obtained at certain intervals 
and in small quantities ; but so marked an improvement 
in the diet was of course welcomed with joy whenever 
it did come. After Prince Ivan had spent his money, 
he succeeded in obtaining fowls and milk in exchange 
for the gold lace on his uniform; but soon even this re- 
source was exhausted. 

Prince Ivan's servant Simon now advanced nobly to 
the rescue. He had discovered a means of procuring 



i 



106 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS, 



eatables in profusion, without either money or gold lace. 
He, in fact, stole them. The captives were ignorant, 
until some time afterwards, of the ingenious but by no 
means novel method adopted by Simon*, though it is 
not probable that he was questioned very severely as to 
the source from which his provisions came. 

Prince Ivan had undertaken to distribute the pro- 
visions, — a most ungrateful task, as it turned out, for 
many of the Prince's servants, for the first time during 
their painful captivity, began to show signs of egotism. 
Famine was now producing its ordinary moral effects upon 
uneducated people. Complaints were made as to the 
smallness of the portions ; and they were indeed small, 
though all of one size. It was impossible to increase the 
general stock ; but in spite of this and of the Prince's 
strict impartiality, there were always murmurs when he 
gave out the food, and sometimes, in addition to mur- 
murs, rude remarks. 

Such was the captives' life in the " House of the 
Cheese," which owed its name to the following tragi- 
comic incident. 

One evening an old man, the master of the house, 
ran into the captives' room with a naked dagger, which 
he brandished in all directions, exclaiming at the same 
time : — 

" Where is my cheese ? I'll kill the person who has 
taken it ! " 

The captives could just understand that a cheese had 

* It must be remembered that the prisoners were without food. 
They may be excused for having lived at the expense of the enemy, 
when they must otherwise have died. 



THE HOUSE OF THE CHEESE. 



107 



been stolen from the mountaineer, and that he was 
anxious to murder the thief. 

Of course, among the eighty prisoners, it was possible 
that one might have the cheese ; and accordingly the 
whole party were thrown into a state of great agitation, as 
it appeared probable that at all events one of the number 
would be murdered. At last, after a careful search, it 
became tolerably evident that the cheese was not in the 
room, and Prince Chavchavadzey advised the infuriated 
mountaineer to endeavour to find it in his own apart- 
ment. 

As soon as the old man had gone away, the Princesses 
called upon the captives to confess if any of them had 
really taken the cheese, and, if so, to give it up to the 
old man, or introduce it secretly into his room, and not 
to endanger the lives of innocent persons by persisting 
in the denial of their guilt. But no one knew anything 
about it, and the prisoners were in a state of despair, 
expecting every moment that the ferocious old man would 
return and seek a victim among them. As they had 
anticipated, he soon made his appearance, but, to the 
general joy, announced that he had found his precious 
cheese under the staircase. 

That day was also remarkable for another strange inci- 
dent, which was, however, of a far less serious character. 

The master of the house called for the Princesses 
Chavchavadzey and Orbeliani, and took them down 
stairs to the courtyard, where a stranger, he said, was 
waiting to speak to them. Here they in fact found a 
stranger, who stated that he was a Georgian, and 
had formerly been a serf on the estate of the Princess 



108 



CAPTIVITY m TKE CAUCASUS. 



Chelokaieff, but that he had long been a captive, and 
was now in the service of a Tartar merchant, whose 
goods he carried about and sold in the different aouls. 

" Well, what do you want with us ? " inquired the 
Princess Chavchavadzey. 

" I heard that you were prisoners here, and thought 
you might be in want of money/' replied the man. 
" Take twenty or thirty roubles from me." he added, 
" for your expenses on the road. You can return the 
money to me when you are able/' 

Such a proposal, from an utter stranger, affected the 
Princesses deeply, and disposed them strongly in his 
favour. They had sometimes been in such want that 
they had had to give up a portion of their dress in 
exchange for an onion, and were now so entirely without 
resources that they accepted the Georgian's offer with joy. 
The only thing they hesitated about was the means of 
repaying their creditor. How, when, and where were 
they to return him his money ? 

" You shall give me a receipt/' said the travelling 
merchant : " and that will find you anywhere." 

These words quite changed the intention of the 
Princesses as to the acceptance of the loan, and even 
inspired them with considerable doubts as to the purity 
of their compatriot's motives. Their suspicions were 
much strengthened by the fact that the desired receipt 
was to be given in the Tartar language, of which they 
were entirely ignorant. The form to which they were 
asked to affix their signatures set forth (as they were 
informed) that such and such a person had given a 
certain sum of money, on his master's account, to such 



A MONEY-LENDEB IN THE MOUNTAINS, 



109 



and such another person. The Princesses, however, 
were equally unwilling to sign a paper of which the 
contents were unknown to thern, and to accept a service 
which was proffered with so much distrust. They 
thanked the stranger, declined his offer, and returned to 
their suffocating room. 

A few days afterwards the captives left the " House of 
the Cheese/' and, just as they were doing so, saw another 
party of prisoners, very numerous and very miserable. 
They were in the most pitiable condition ; and nothing 
but groans and curses of the most blasphemous kind 
was to be heard as they passed. 



110 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



CHAP. IX. 

When the Tsenondahl party started from the " House 
of the Cheese/' on their road to the next great aoul, 
they remarked that their conductors had been changed, 
and that they were now no longer Lesghians, but 
Chechnians, as before. 

The first stage was very fatiguing; but for this they 
were fully compensated by the fresh air and the originality 
and beauty of the scenery. There was a constant im- 
provement in each aoul they came to; and the river, along 
whose banks their course now lay, formed in many places 
the most beautiful cascades. At last they ascended a 
slope, and found themselves on a large plateau covered 
with a wood of pines, which reminded the Princesses of 
their delightful wood of Barjom.* The prisoners had 
just entered it when the report of firearms was heard 
on all sides. The Chechnians, who had just reached the 
frontier of their native province, had adopted this means 
of manifesting their joy. 

There was now a general halt, during which the 
Chechnians pointed out to the prisoners the possessions 

* Situated in the district of Goreesk, much frequented for its mineral 
waters, and celebrated as the favourite summer resort of the governors of 
the Caucasus, Golovin and VorontsofF. 



THE SNOBS OF CHECHNI. 



Ill 



of Shamil's second son Kazi-Machmat, and the aoul 
where he usually lived. 

While the captives were taking their rest, some young 
men, dirtily attired, and generally of unprepossessing 
appearance, came towards them, and examined them — 
especially the women — with great curiosity. These 
were the sons of the Naib who governed the district. 

On leaving the wood the prisoners descended towards 
the banks of the river, and now, for the first time, saw 
gardens in full cultivation and beautiful vineyards. 
As they proceeded they also saw magnificent walnut 
trees. 

In the meantime the rain was beginning to fall in 
sufficient quantities to make them anxious for shelter. 
They soon reached a small, uninhabited house, which 
stood on the banks of the river, and which the captives, 
already well soaked, lost no time in occupying. After 
remaining here some time, the mountaineers formed a 
bridge of branches, extending from the house already 
mentioned to a similar one on the opposite bank. The 
bridge was very slight, and the whole party crossed it 
on foot. The road on the other side was up a hill of 
clayey soil, which had become very slippery from the 
late rain. The prisoners, who were nearly all on foot, 
slipped, fell, or stuck fast in the clay. Prince Chav- 
chavadzey's horse, which he had given up to the wounded 
nurse on leaving the " House of the Cheese," would not 
ascend, and threatened to throw the sick woman. But 
the Princess Chavchavadzey changed horses with her, 
— her own being quiet and accustomed to the kind of 
country through which they were travelling, — so that 



112 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



the nurse went up the hill safely enough. Without 
undervaluing the Princess's generosity, it may be men- 
tioned — in her own words — that, in riding a restive 
horse, she ran far less danger than one of her servants, 
as she had constantly both Chechnians and militiamen 
at her side ; besides which she knew that her conductors 
would have to account for her life, if she happened to 
perish on the road, whereas one of the ordinary cap- 
tives, for whom no special ransom could be demanded, 
might be allowed to perish without much fear of the 
consequences. 

In the middle of the journey there was a great dis- 
turbance among the Chechnians, who suddenly drew 
their daggers and surrounded the prisoners. The cap- 
tives were quite at a loss to account for the increase of 
vigilance on the part of their conductors, and many of 
them were very uneasy as to the motives by which the 
mountaineers were animated in their strange conduct. 
The Chechnians continued to march in close order and 
with their daggers drawn, until they had passed a nar- 
row defile, when they broke into groups, and went on in 
their usual manner. The prisoners now ascertained the 
cause of the recent excitement among the Chechnians. 
On coming to the narrow passage, it had occurred to 
them that the mountaineers from the neighbouring 
aoids, having heard of the number and importance of 
the prisoners they were escorting, might have taken ad- 
vantage of the position to form an ambush, with 
the view of capturing the Georgians. In case of suc- 
cess, the attacking party would have shared the ransom 
that was to be demanded for the liberation of the 



FRATERNITY AMONG THE TRIBES. 



113 



captives; and the Chechnians were accordingly deter- 
mined to make the most vigorous defence, and, above 
all, not to be taken by surprise. Either the anticipa- 
tions of the Chechnians had been ill-founded, or their 
jealous compatriots had not had time to concert their 
plan of attack ; for the position of the prisoners was not 
complicated by any fresh capture. But the fact that 
such an attack was considered probable is remarkable, 
as showing the terms on which the tribes of the Caucasus 
— and even families belonging to the same tribe — live 
together, and the little regard which is paid to the 
authority of Shamil in some parts of his territory. 

After making a considerable circuit to avoid several 
high mountains, the prisoners travelled some distance 
through well-cultivated fields and beautiful gardens, 
until they reached an aoul. Here they were taken into 
a mill, where a small ill-ventilated room was placed at 
their disposition. In front of this room was a verandah, 
the floor of which was covered with straw for the cap- 
tives to lie upon; but the space accorded to them was so 
insufficient that, both in the verandah and in the room, 
they were crowded almost to suffocation. Besides the 
serious discomfort produced by this confinement, the 
prisoners suffered much from hunger. After waiting- 
long and patiently for food without receiving any, they 
made an attempt to get provisions from the passers-by, . 
and succeeded in obtaining a few onions in exchange for 

o o 

hooks and eyes, which the women tore from their dresses. 
Finally the "benevolent Moulla " made his appearance, 
bringing with him sour milk, bread, apples, and apricots. 
This formed a luxurious and unexpected supper. 

i 



114 CxlPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 

The night was principally remarkable for a determi- 
nation formed, and announced to the rest of the captives 
by the under officer, PatapofT, He had discovered that 
it was not far from the aoul where they were confined 
to a Kussian fort named Andrevskoy, and resolved to do 
his best to reach it. He had even succeeded in ascer- 
taining the nearest road to the fortress, and was now- 
only waiting for the Chechnians, already weary with their 
long march, to fall asleep. However, when he had fully 
resolved to carry out his plan, and found nothing what- 
ever to prevent its successful execution, it suddenly 
occurred to PatapofT that his disappearance could not 
fail to increase the sufferings of the other captives, w T ho, 
after his escape, would as a matter of course be guarded 
with the greatest severity. Accordingly he abandoned 
his project. 

Having conferred a negative benefit on the prisoners 
generally, PatapofT now proceeded to confer a positive 
one on the wife of AndronikofT the merchant, who, as 
has been already mentioned, had four young children to 
take care of. He relieved her of half the family, tied 
the two children to his saddle to prevent their falling 
off, and tended them with the greatest care. 

The scene which presented itself to the captives as 
they left the aoid was magnificent. Their road lay 
along the banks of a clear, sparkling river, and beneath a 
double row of overhanging trees, which formed a 
natural arcade, and preserved them from the scorch- 
ing sun. But for this excellent protection their march 
would have been very distressing ; for the heat was 
more intense even than in their own Georgia. The 



AN OLD HAG 



115 



surrounding country was both beautiful and varied ; and 
the captives were never tired of admiring the wonderful 
panoramas which unfolded themselves in rapid succes- 
sion to their view. One only of the number, the 
Princess Orbeliani, was unable to enjoy the refreshing 
and cheering aspect of the scenery. She had been 
taken ill early in the morning, and was now scarcely 
able to sit upon her horse. 

At noon the Chechnians halted at a little house be- 
neath the shade of the trees, and remained there three 
hours, duriug which time a large number of mountaineers 
arrived from the neighbouring aoids to see the Eussian 
prisoners. Here occurred a very striking incident, 
which was at the same time highly characteristic as an 
illustration of mountain manners. From the midst 
of the crowd stepped an old woman, who threw herself 
fiercely upon Prince Chavchavadzey, and tried to throttle 
him, saying that her son was just such another young 
man, that he had fallen in Shamil's recent attack on 
Kahetia, and that she would now avenge his death by 
killing the first Christian she had met since the news of 
his loss. It is imcertain what might have been the 
result of this struggle between the ferocious old woman 
and Prince Ivan, had not Princess Orbeliani come for- 
ward and informed her that her own husband had just 
been killed by the Mussulmans, so that her son was 
already avenged. These words had the desired effect 
upon the old woman ; she released Prince Chavchavad- 
zey, and soon afterwards became thoroughly pacified. 

From this halting-place the prisoners had suddenly to 
ascend a high and rocky mountain. The horses could 

I 2 



116 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



scarcely get a hold on the surface, and were constantly 
springing from one point to another in a manner which 
would appear incredible to those who are not acquainted 
with the capabilities of horses which have been bred and 
trained in a mountain country. In one of these leaps 
the Princess Chavchavadzey's horse tore off its shoe, and 
with it its hoof. The Princess having dismounted from 
the unfortunate animal's back, continued her journey on 
foot ; but about this time the rest of the captives had to 
do the same, as on one side of the road there was a 
steep precipice, with the river gurgling beneath, while 
the other was covered over by a vaulted roof of rock 
only a few feet in height. This dangerous road, which 
continued for about half a mile, was to all appearance 
of artificial construction. It seemed to have been ex- 
cavated like a tunnel in the solid rock ; and without it 
there would have been no possibility of crossing the 
mountain. 

Unfortunately the prisoners could form no notion of 
the geographical position of this wonderful pass, nor 
indeed of any of the many places of interest with which 
they became acquainted during their long and circuitous 
journey, and of which they frequently could not even 
ascertain the names. Among the various causes which 
render it impossible to trace the route by which the 
captives travelled, it may be mentioned that the con- 
ductors, on leaving any one aoul, directed their steps not 
towards Dargi-Vedenno, their ultimate destination, but 
to the first large aoul that happened to be at all nearer to 
head quarters than the one from which they were start- 
ing. This course was probably adopted with the view 



A MOUNTAIN ROAD. 



117 



of obtaining a series of resting-places for the captives*, 
which in the inferior aouls could not have been found. 

The prisoners proceeded along the excavated pas- 
sage, which overhung the precipice like a balcony, 
and was so long that it took them half an hour to 
reach the end. At last, however, they issued into 
an open plain, and were so struck with the beauty 
and grandeur of the surrounding scenery that for the 
moment they forgot their captivity and their sufferings, 
and contemplated the landscape with delight. They 
unanimously agreed that this was the most picturesque 
spot they had yet met with in the Caucasus, which 
nevertheless abounds in picturesque scenery. 

Here the captives again mounted their horses, and 
for the lame one on which, until the accident, the Prin- 
cess Chavchavadzey had been riding, was substituted a 
very quiet animal thoroughly accustomed to mountain 
roads. Having travelled for some time across a country 
covered with a soft soil as black as charcoal, they came 
to a broad river, which they had to ford. The road on 
the other side commenced with a low and narrow path- 
way between the bank and the rocks which overhung it ; 
and in proceeding along this dangerous pass, the horse 
that carried the wet nurse of the Princess Orbeliani's 
little boy George, as well as the child himself, was sud- 
denly brought to a halt by some projecting crags on 

* It must be also remembered that prisoners and emissaries on 
tbeir road to Dargi-Vedenno are always conducted there by routes so 
complicated that it is nearly impossible for them to know its exact 
position. Thus, an Armenian merchant, who was taken a few years 
since to Dargi-Vedenno by some of Shamil's mountaineers, was a week 
going there, and only twelve hours returning. 

I 3 



118 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



which the saddle caught. The infant, who was slung 
across the saddle in a sack, would have been dashed to 
pieces by the startled horse, had not one of the Geor- 
gian militiamen advanced promptly and removed the 
child from his perilous position. The wet nurse dis- 
mounted at the same time. 

The Princess Orbeliani had not been a witness of the 
danger which had threatened her son. She was last of 
all in the long cortege, and had much difficulty in keep- 
ing up with the party at all, her illness having now made 
such progress that she was obliged at frequent intervals 
to get off her horse and take a few minutes' rest on the 
grass. 

The road was constantly either up or downhill. 
One of these acclivities had to be ascended by a series 
of steps, which resembled a natural stone staircase. 
Here the wounded nurse was made to dismount, as the 
Chechnians were afraid her weight would fatigue the 
horse. 

On the summit of the hill there was a halt, which, 
however, lasted so short a time that the foremost were 
again in motion before the rest of the party had com- 
pleted the ascent. 

Amongst other things which the more talkative of the 
mountaineers communicated to the Princess Chavcha- 
vadzey, was the news that in a neighbouring aoid an 
infant captive four or five months of age was to be seen. 
The Princess at once imagined this must be her Lydia, 
who by some miracle had been picked up alive from the 
spot where she had seen her fall. She accordingly begged 
the " benevolent Moulla " to send to the aoul in question 



THE LOST CHILD. 



119 



and ascertain all particulars respecting the child. The 
Moulla promised to comply with the Princess's request, 
but could not do so before the party arrived at the next 
aoul, where they were to spend the night in the house of 
some other Moulla. The aoul was not very far distant? 
and the prisoners reached it before dark. They met 
with no serious obstacles during the latter portion of 
their day's journey. They had, however, to cross a 
river, which flowed before the hill on which the aoul 
was built. Some of the party forded it on horseback ; 
and the water was sufficiently deep to make it necessary 
for the horses to swim. The remainder crossed by means 
of trees which were thrown singly across the river; 
and these narrow bridges bent beneath the feet of the 
prisoners, who walked along them with the consciousness 
that the slightest uncertainty in their steps would pre- 
cipitate them into the water. 

In the aoul the prisoners were found to be all present, 
with the exception of Salome and Marie, the Princess 
Chavchavadzey's little girls. After expecting them some 
time in vain, the Princess became greatly agitated, and 
communicated her fears to the rest of the party. This 
would have led to nothing, and the children would pro- 
bably have been lost for ever, had it not been for 
the under officer Patapoff, who on this occasion distin- 
guished himself not only by his resolution, but also by 
the most remarkable courage. Having asked permission 
from the " benevolent Moulla " to take several conductors 
with him, he set off in search of the lost children, and 
by recent traces was enabled to come up with them. 
They had been stolen by the inhabitants of one of the 

I 4 



120 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



neighbouring aouls, but Patapoff soon recovered them, 
and himself brought them back to the aoul where the 
Princess was awaiting their appearance. 

This incident had the effect of disturbing the captive's 
rest for the night. It was not until daybreak that Pa- 
tapoff returned with the children* and during his 
absence the Princesses and many of the other captives 
were in a state of the greatest anxiety and excitement as 
to the result of his enterprise. If we take into consi- 
deration the number of sleepless nights passed by the 
captives during their journey through the mountains, and 
above all if we consider the causes which rendered these 
nights sleepless, it appears astonishing, not that both the 
Princesses should have been attacked by illness on several 
occasions, but that either of them should have reached 
Dargi-Vedenno alive. 

However, in the morning the prisoners had to rise 
early and continue their journey, which was beginning 
to appear interminable. Before they set off, another 
painful circumstance occurred. Until now the prisoners 
had all travelled together; but the Princesses were 
at this time informed that they must be separated 
from their servants ; they might choose one or two, 
but the others, they were told, must be left behind 
at the aoid. The Princesses were sadly perplexed 
as to who should be selected to accompany them on 
their journey. They had all been kind and faithful, 
and each one had had some opportunity of proving her 
devotion to her mistress. But it was impossible not to 
obey the order of the mountaineers, and at last they 
decided to take the wet nurses of George and Alex- 



PROPOSED SEPARATION, 



121 



ander, and a little girl of thirteen, who certainly would 
have suffered more than the others had she been left 
behind in the midst of barbarous and cruel enemies. 

The selection of the three servants above mentioned 
caused a great tumult among those who were to be left 
behind. They protested loudly against what they con- 
sidered a most unjust choice, and ended their com- 
plaints with tears and screams. 

After many entreaties, Princess Ivan persuaded the 
conductors to allow the whole of the servants to accom- 
pany them with the understanding that they should 
travel on foot, an arrangement which the latter much 
preferred to the prospect of being left alone for an 
indefinite period in an aoul, where they were sure to 
be infamously treated. 

The journey on which they were now starting, and 
which was to take them to one of the largest aouls in 
the country, was perhaps the most fatiguing of all. No 
accidents of a serious nature happened to any of the 
party ; but a heavy rain fell during the whole day and 
soaked them all to the skin. The road, too, was bad 
beyond description : at one time the prisoners sank to 
their knees in the mud, at another they had to jump 
over narrow but abrupt chasms with torrents roaring at 
the bottom. In a word, they had to go through all the 
inconveniences of mountain travelling in rainy weather, 
and it was night before they halted, for the first time, at 
the " Great Aoul " — -so called by the captives, in order 
to distinguish it emphatically from all the inferior aouls 
through which they had passed. 



122 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. X. 

The " Great Aoul " was built on the summit of a lofty 
and rocky mountain, which could only be reached by a 
steep path in the form of a staircase and cut out of the 
solid stone. A similar stone staircase formed the ap- 
proach to each house or hut in the aoul; and the 
prisoners had to ascend several of them in order to get 
to the habitation of the Moulla where they were to 
stop. Having entered the Moulla's house, the Tsenon- 
dahl captives were led up to the top floor, the moun- 
taineers taking the precaution of locking the outer 
door as soon as they were all inside. In this floor, in 
addition to the Princesses and their party, Prince Ivan 
Chavchavadzey, Prince Vagnadzey and their militia- 
men were placed. The other captives were taken to 
some huts in another part of the aoul; and, to the great 
sorrow of the Princess Chavchavadzey, the minister's 
daughter and her little sister, whom the Princess had 
fed throughout the journey, were now separated from 
her, 

The floor in the Moulla's house was divided into two 
tolerably good rooms. One of these was occupied by 
the Princesses and their family, the other by their 
attendants, the third by the Princes Chavchavadzey 
and Vagnadzey, and the fourth by the "benevolent 



THE GREAT AOUL. 



123 



Moulla 3 ' who, however, set off on the following day for 
Dargi-Vedenno to see Shamil. 

Before setting off, the " benevolent Moulla" said 
they would have to remain where they were until 
he returned from Dargi-Vedenno ; and, as he had pre- 
dicted, the captives remained in the " Great Aoul " for a 
period of two weeks. Here their life was tranquil. They 
were not disturbed by annoyances of any kind, and 
they were therefore comparatively happy. They rested 
thoroughly after the fatigues of their journey, and 
might have regained nearly all their strength, if their 
food had been of somewhat better quality ; but, as in 
the former aouls, it was not only insufficient, but also 
of the most unpleasant kind. Sometimes, for a little 
gold-lace from a militia uniform, they obtained milk 
and bread, and occasionally the inhabitants threw fruit 
(generally plums and apricots) on to the flat roof, to 
which there was a communication from the prisoners' 
rooms. The prisoners also succeeded, for the first time 
since their captivity, in obtaining a piece of soap in 
exchange for a bead necklace which one of the wet 
nurses had preserved. This acquisition was quite a 
treasure ; and the Princesses were now able to have their 
children thoroughly washed, and also to free themselves 
from the traces which the mud and the fatigue of their 
journey had left upon their persons. 

The prisoners spent the greater part of their days on the 
flat roof, watching the daily life of the aoul. From their 
place of observation they saw much that was remarkable ; 
and among the scenes which impressed themselves upon 
their memory, the following especially deserved notice 



124 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



as illustrative of a strange national custom among the 
mountaineers. Near the house where they were con- 
fined was a pit , of which the captives were for some 
time at a loss to divine the object, until one day they 
saw a young and beautiful woman brought to the edge and 
pushed into it, after which a cradle containing her infant 
child was let down to her. The Princess Chavchavadze)^ 
inquired the meaning of this strange proceeding ; and it 
was explained to her that the woman had killed the 
murderer of her husband, and that for this act of 
vengeance she was condemned to remain in the pit 
three months, at the expiration of which she would be at 
once remarried to the first man who would accept her 
as his wife. 

The Princesses were also informed that throughout 
Shamil's dominions no woman was allowed to remain a 
widow more than three months. At the end of that 
period she is obliged to find another husband, a matter 
about which, thanks to the spread of polygamy, there 
is not much difficulty, especially if the widow be young 
and not very ugly. The object of this law is doubtless 
to increase the population as much as possible in a 
country where it is being continually diminished by 
privation and an interminable war. 

Soon after the unhappy woman had been placed in 
the pit, two of the militiamen from Kahetia were thrown 
into one exactly similar. The Princesses were informed 
that this punishment was inflicted upon them in return 
for their attempt to escape from the aoul as they 
were going out, on their daily errand, to fetch water. 
As the Moulla, or elder of the aoul, in whose house 



THE BENEVOLENT MOULLA AGAIN. 125 

the Princesses were livings had ordered this punishment, 
they applied to him to obtain its mitigation ; and it was 
not long before the militiamen were released, though 
they were afterwards put to work in the Moulla's fields. 
During the absence of the "benevolent Moulla/' the 
captives had many privations to support, and their 
distress was much increased by the illness of the Prin- 
cess Chavchavadzey's little boy Alexander. When the 
" benevolent Moulla " returned, he was astonished and 
affected by the thinness and feebleness of the child, 
The old man took from his pocket a piece of thirty 
copeiks *, and wished to give it to the Princess 
Chavchavadzey, but, fearing to hurt her pride, hesitated 
about doing so. Not knowing how to manage, he at last 
slipped it into the child's hand, saying at the same time 
to the Princess, "Do not be offended — accept it- — 
look at your sick child — for that money you can buy 
a fowl and make him some soup." All were touched by 
the simple but considerate kindness of the old man; 
he himself was moved, and several tears were seen to 
run down his long moustache and beard. 

Five copeiks of the Moulla's money were indeed spent 
in the purchase of a fowl, but here another misfortune 
presented itself ; there was nothing to boil it in, and 
none of the faithful would lend one of their cooking 
utensils to a Christian. The " benevolent Moulla " also 
overcame this difficulty for them. He obtained an 
earthen pot from one of the inhabitants, who, however, 
would only give it up on the distinct understanding 



* About a shilling, 



126 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



that it was to be washed out seven times before the 
Griaours returned it to him. Nor did the old man's 
services stop here. Having heard the captives complain 
of the bad quality of the breads he brought two women 
to the flat roof, and ordered them to construct an oven 
there. The oven was soon ready, and the prisoners now 
began to make their own bread. After some time the 
Moulla again found means to perform a fresh service 
for them. He obtained some red leather and brought it 
to the captives, advising them to make themselves shoes, 
so that they might not appear before Shamil with naked 
feet. 

The kind actions by which the " benevolent Moulla " 
distinguished himself could be ascribed neither to the 
influence of Shamil, nor to any other source except the 
generosity and goodness of the old Mussulman's own 
heart; and they were appreciated so much the more 
highly by the grateful captives. 

The manufacture of shoes was an art with which the 
Princesses were naturally not acquainted, and which 
puzzled them dreadfully. Prince Ivan Chavchavadzey 
cut out the shape ; but the difficult part of the process 
still remained to be done, namely, the sewing. This it 
was difficult to accomplish without such necessary articles 
as needles, thread, and so forth. But the permission of 
the u benevolent Moulla" having been obtained, the 
Princess Baratoff set off to the residence of a Chechnian 
lady who was well known as the principal cobbler in the 
aoul. On her return the Princess announced that she 
had found every imaginable requisite for the pursuance 
of the cobbling trade, and that the lady's establishment 



A COBBLER IN CHECHNI. 



127 



was, moreover, well furnished in an ordinary domestic 
point of view — many of the articles, and nearly the 
whole of the plates and dishes, having been taken from 
Tsenondahl. The mistress of the house was richly 
attired ; and altogether the Princess Baratoff came 
away with the impression that it was no bad thing to be 
a cobbler in Chechni. Having received some very 
necessary instruction in her art from the lady who 
professed it, the Princess Nina was able to set to work 
directly she arrived at the Moulla's house; and her 
example was speedily followed by the other captives. 

In the meantime the news arrived that Shamil had 
returned to Dargi-Vedenno from his expedition. The 
captives could now start for the Iman's head quarters, 
and the "benevolent Moulla" announced to them that on 
the following morning they would commence the last 
stage of their journey. The militiamen who had at- 
tempted to escape had now completed their labours in the 
Moulla's fields ; and by way of testifying his satisfaction 
at the manner in which they had performed their work, 
and at the same time of honouring the captives who had 
lived in his house, he caused an ox to be roasted. The 
dinner was magnificent ; and there was so much left that 
the prisoners were able to take with them a tolerably 
large supply of provisions for the road. 

From the Great Aoul the whole party, -without ex- 
ception, set off on good horses. The road lay through 
very beautiful gardens ; and every minute the country 
became more and more picturesque. At one moment 
the captives came in sight of a beautiful river which 
ran playfully between the lofty heights on each side ; at 



128 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



another they found themselves opposite a mountain 
covered from the summit to the base with beautiful 
verdure and magnificent flowers, such as the Princesses 
had never beheld even in hothouses. Herds of cattle 
not very large^ but of great beauty, were grazing around 
them. Aoul succeeded aoul, none of which were built 
in valleys, but all on the summit of some rocky elevation, 
- — a circumstance which caused one of the Princesses' 
servants to remark that " if the mountaineers were not 
devils, they would not be able to live in such places, but 
would fall down and break their necks." 

The first stage of the day's journey was rather a 
long one. The halt was made in an open plain where 
there was no protection from the rays of the sun, which 
was now scorchingly hot. The Princesses were very an- 
xious to find some place of shelter; and the "benevolent 
Moulla," ever ready to gratify them, conducted them to 
the banks of a neighbouring river. The bank was 
steep, and about nine feet in height ; but the old man 
lost no time in jumping from it on to a large stone 
below, and helping the Princesses to follow him. From 
this stone the Princesses perceived the entrance to a 
large excavation in the form of a grotto. In this cool 
shelter the captives rested for a considerable time, enjoy- 
ing a magnificent view on the opposite bank of the 
river, which was very mountainous and covered with 
gardens and aoids. Near the grotto there was a profu- 
sion of beautiful flowers, from which the Princesses 
gathered nosegays for the children. 

Either the prospect of a speedy termination to their 
fatiguing journey, or the lengthened repose in the cool 



A FORLOKN HOPE. 



129 



grotto, or the contemplation of the beautiful scenery, or 
perhaps all these causes together, had the effect of alle- 
viating the distress of the Princesses to a considerable 
extent ; and they were now suffering far less both in 
mind and in body than at any previous period of their 
captivity. Their despair had now given way to a feeling 
of submission to the Divine will. They looked towards 
the future with fear but not without hope ; and although 
they knew that in Shamil's hands they would be at the 
mercy of a ferocious enemy, they were at the same time 
convinced that he was neither unreasonable nor devoid 
of human sympathy. 

As far as the Princess Chavchavadzey alone was con- 
cerned, her cheerfulness might be explained by the fact 
that she had found her little nursling again (who, with 
her sister the minister's daughter, had been separated 
from her during the sojourn of the party in the last 
aoul\ and by the hope she still entertained of find- 
ing her little Lydia as soon as she reached Dargi- 
Vedenno. 

Such were the thoughts and feelings which animated 
the captives towards the conclusion of their journey; 
for they were now not more than a day's march from 
Shamil's residence. After their long and satisfactory 
rest in the grotto, the Princesses joined the other 
captives, and the whole party set off along a smooth 
even road which was frequently intersected by small 
shallow streams. At length they reached a narrow 
passage formed by the proximity of two enormous 
mountains which were covered entirely with verdure. 
On the summit of one of these mountains grew a 

E 



130 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



gigantic tree, which, springing from an unattainable 
height, rose majestically into the air far above all sur- 
rounding objects. 

Down the middle of the narrow passage flowed a 
river or, to speak more correctly, a stream, above which 
the mountains grew gradually closer together until at 
last they met and formed a kind of corridor, beneath 
which the prisoners had to ride for about half an 
hour. 

Having passed through this narrow passage, they 
debouched on to a large open plain covered with thick 
grass; and beyond this they saw the celebrated aoul of 
Audi. Before reaching this aoul 9 the captives met 
several women who were going to fetch water, with 
large tin jugs balanced on their heads or slung behind 
their backs. The Princesses remembered the dress of 
those women, and afterwards found out that they were 
the wives of some of the Naibs residing in Andi. They 
wore chemises and trousers of coarse linen, and from 
their heads to their heels hung veils of thick white 
calico. Their faces were moreover covered with pieces 
of white linen, from which the threads had been drawn 
out in the portions immediately before the eyes. From 
such coarse costumes it was impossible to imagine that 
those women were the wives of Naibs, and above all of 
Naibs residing in so important a place as Andi, the 
principal aoul in the Caucasus, and the head quarters 
of the aristocracy * of Chechni and Daghestan. But 

* By this word we must here understand the natural superiority of 
riches and personal merit. There is no aristocratic class among the 
Chechnians, Lesghians, and the other inhabitants of the eastern side of 



A MOUNTAIN THIEF. 



131 



even the richest of the mountaineers have now to live 
with the greatest simplicity; such is the ruin caused 
among them by perpetual war. 

The prisoners did not reach Andi until the evening, 
when they were all placed together in a kind of barn, 
which was not nearly large enough for their accommoda- 
tion. In order to remedy this inconvenience, they 
were allowed to go on to the flat roof of the hut. Here 
they were supplied with a supper of the simplest kind 
which was brought to them by the wives of the Naibs. 
These ladies were much pleased with the appetites of 
the Princesses, but were afterwards very indignant when 
they saw the remains of the repast offered to the 
servants. 

" We brought the supper for the Princesses/' they ex- 
claimed, (i and not for their slaves." 

The captives remained for some time on the roof, ad- 
miring the beauty of the night and the aspect of the 
aoul lighted up by the moon. One of the militiamen 
began to touch the strings of a choongoora *, and the 
prisoners listened with a melancholy pleasure as he exe- 
cuted several of the national airs of Georgia. No one 
could tell how the instrument had been saved; but every 
one was thankful for its preservation, and it appeared to 
have almost equal charms for the prisoners and for the 
women of Andi, who collected in crowds round the hut 
to hear the music of the captive choongoora-iplsLyeY. 

At the conclusion of the concert the prisoners retired 

the Caucasian chain, although the contrary is the case with the tribes of 
the western side, and those on the shores of the Black Sea. 

* One of the national instruments of Georgia ; a kind of guitar, with 
metal strings. 

K 2 



132 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



for the night. The " benevolent Moulla" with the 
officers and the militiamen remained on the roof, while 
the Princesses and their servants went into the room 
and locked the door. But again the Princesses were 
unable to enjoy a complete night's rest, and were pre- 
vented from falling asleep until the morning by the 
following incident. 

When the women had all lain down and some of them 
gone to sleep, the door, which they fancied they had 
locked on retiring to rest, opened with a slight noise ; 
the moonlight penetrated into the dark room, and en- 
abled them to see a dark figure standing near the 
entrance. The Princess Chavchavadzey was the first to 
notice this unwelcome apparition. She addressed the 
intruder, and, receiving no answer, uttered a scream 
which awakened every one in the room. All the women 
rose, upon which the uninvited visitor disappeared ; but 
he returned before long, and was caught as he was re- 
treating to the door, and accused of an intention to rob 
the captives during their sleep. The disturbance soon 
brought the " benevolent Moulla " to the door ; and at 
the request of the frightened servants and enraged 
militiamen, the thieving mountaineer was ordered to 
be flogged outside the hut. These incidents occupied 
nearly all the night ; and it was dawn before the captives 
could get to sleep. 

The " benevolent Moulla w came to the Princesses in 
the morning with three veils of dark silk, which he recom- 
mended them to wear, assuring them that it was consi- 
dered unbecoming for women of their station to travel 
with their faces uncovered, and that the country through 



NEWS FROM HOME. 



133 



which their road now lay was so populous, that it would 
be disagreeable for them not to comply with the national 
customs. They had not proceeded far when they saw 
Dargo, ShamiTs former residence, which was destroyed by 
the Eussians in 1845 under Prince Vorontsoff in person, 
and which was now nothing but a heap of ruins. Soon 
afterwards the a benevolent Moulla" brought the captives 
a letter from Prince Georgadzey (one of the Princesses' 
relatives), forwarded, they knew not how, from Temir- 
Han-Shouri. The letter was written in Georgian, and 
contained the first news they had received from Kahetia. 
Prince Georgadzey inquired whether the Princesses were 
all three living, and if so, whether they were in good 
health, begged them to communicate with him at once, 
and inform him what they most required, and advised 
them to lose no time in obtaining a direct permission 
from Shamil to correspond with their relatives. After 
they had read the letter, the captives had to give it up 
to the 66 benevolent Moulla," who thought it best to show 
the communication to Shamil, without even informing 
him that the Princesses had already seen it. The good old 
man was aware that there had been an order issued by 
Shamil, to the effect that the prisoners should engage 
in no correspondence ; but in the goodness of his heart 
he could not refrain from breaking it, and he was now 
only afraid that he might have to answer for his 
transgression. However, the captives consoled him 
with an assurance that they would under no circum- 
stances divulge the secret. 

The prisoners were now close to Dargi-Vedenno ; and 
as the Princesses rode on with their veils over their 

K 3 



134 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



faces, they could not help thinking that it was not for 
the sake of propriety alone, but rather with a view to 
destroy all possibility of their remembering and de- 
scribing the approaches to Shamil's stronghold, that they 
had been supplied with the pieces of thick black silk, 
and recommended in so urgent a manner to wear them. 

This precaution on the part of Shamil's officers, of 
course, had the effect of stimulating their curiosity ; and 
in spite of the thickness of the silk, they were able to 
see plainly enough the objects that surrounded them, 
the only difference being that, viewed through the black, 
everything appeared of the same hue. However, they 
saw nothing very worthy of remark, and have no par- 
ticular recollection of anything beyond several rivers 
and rivulets which they had to ford, and afterwards a 
very thick wood, traversed by a great number of very 
narrow paths. 

An episode here occurred, of which Madame Drancey 
was the heroine. The French lady had just asked for some- 
thing to drink; and the "benevolent Moulla" brought her 
some water in a leather bag, shaped like a tobacco pouch, 
with a silk cord to hold it by. The Moulla, who was on 
horseback, held the pouch by the cord, and presented it 
to Madame Drancey, who, however, objected to the dir- 
tiness of the Moulla's hands, and, as he was putting it to 
her lips, grasped it tightly in her own, thus forcing all 
the water out, and drenching herself from head to foot. 
The result of this ill-timed fastidiousness threw the 
whole party into convulsions of laughter, with the ex- 
ception, however, of the Moulla, who was offended, and 
Madame Drancey herself, who was much confused and 



MADAME DEANCEY DRINKS. 



135 



thoroughly wet. The worst of it was, that there was now 
no possibility of changing and drying her clothes ; and 
she was the more mortified from the reflection, that in 
this state she would have to appear before Shamil. To 
her consolation, however, it was not long before all her 
travelling companions were in the same state as herself ; 
for a thunder storm soon afterwards burst forth, and 
the whole party were soaked to the skin, in spite of the 
w benevolent Moulla," who made the greatest efforts to 
protect them, covering one with a cloak, another with a 
sheep-skin, a third with a carpet, and so on. 

Through this heavy shower the prisoners were ad- 
vancing nearer and nearer to Dargi-Vedenno ; and as 
twilight came on about this time, it was impossible for 
the captives to see anything of the immediate envi- 
rons of Shamil's celebrated aoid. First they met with a 
row of palings, which probably formed part of a cattle- 
shed, then a ditch, then a rampart with gates like those 
of the Cossack intrenched camps in the Caucasian pro- 
vinces, until at length they saw the roofs of the aoid 
itself. 

Close to the gates the prisoners met a number of 
horsemen bearing lances adorned with small flags, in 
front of whom rode a boy of fourteen. This was Shamil's 
youngest son, by a wife who had died some months pre- 
viously. His name, the Princesses were informed, was 
Machmat-Shabi ; and in spite of the rain, which was 
still falling in torrents, they could not help admiring 
his wonderful beauty. Then, without being stopped at 
the gates, they rode straight into the aoul, and were put 
into a barn, where they were joined by all the other 



136 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



prisoners. The whole of the Tsenondahl party were 
soon afterwards invited to proceed to Shamil's own 
house. Prince Ivan, who was on foot, leading the 
Princess Chavchavadzey's horse, preceded the rest of 
the captives ; but no sooner had he reached the entrance 
to the house, than two Chechnians rushed forward and 
seized the bridle, while another took hold of Prince 
Ivan, and prevented him from advancing a step further. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey saw her relative turn 
deadly pale. He was deeply pained for the fate of 
the Princess, who from that moment seemed destined 
to remain alone, and without any sort of protection, 
in the hands of her enemies. They separated with 
sad forebodings. The Princess rode on through the 
outer courtyard, and, on looking round and seeing that 
she was followed only by the Princess Baratoff and little 
Tamara, suffered more than ever from the same dreadful 
presentiment which had lately had so visible an effect 
on Prince Ivan. But there was no help for it ; and the 
two Princesses proceeded with the little girl into the 
inner courtyard, that is to say, into Shamil's seraglio. 
This was the evening of Friday, July 30th. 




Smithy, Elder & C?. Lzth. Corri7vLll,Iarcdart. 



PAET II. 



CHAPTEE L 

That the Princess Chavchavadzey should have been 
terribly agitated on entering ShamiTs seraglio* was na- 
tural enough ; but her fears were, nevertheless, not 
justified by anything that followed. In the outer court- 
yard she had found a large crowd collected, and in one 
of the balconies perceived a solitary figure of lofty 
stature, dressed entirely in white. This, as she after- 
wards ascertained, was Shamil himself ; but in the dark- 
ness and confusion she was unable to distinguish the 
persons who surrounded her. 

If the reader will take the trouble to look at the 
accompanying plan of ShamiTs seraglio, he will see two 
arrows, one straight and the other crooked. The former 
marks the entrance through the gates as far as a parti- 
tion which re-incloses a portion of the seraglio; the 
latter points out the way to the apartment occupied by 

* It is as well to remind the reader that the seraglio is a very different 
thing from the harem. The seraglio, or inner court, is merely that part 
of the Mussulman's house in which the family reside. It is in the outer 
court alone that strangers are received, or affairs transacted. 



138 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



the Princesses. In front of this apartment was a gallery, 
which extended all round the quadrangle. 

The Princesses were invited by the women to dis- 
mount from their weary horses, and were then con- 
ducted to the dismal apartment in which they were 
destined to remain confined during the next seven 
months. 

Some of the women, who were evidently servants, 
followed them into the room, took their shoes off, and 
helped them to undress. At this moment the Princess 
Orbeliani entered the apartment, and was instantly sur- 
rounded by the inmates of the seraglio, among whom 
the captives could not help noticing a girl of thirteen, 
of fair complexion, with a face of much expression, and 
eyes half closed. This was Napicette, Shamil's daughter ; 
and if the Princesses had seen Shamil distinctly, they 
would have had no trouble in recognising her at once, 
if only by those hazel half-closed eyes which form the 
distinguishing feature of the Mountain Chief and all his 
family.* After some time two women entered the room, 
dressed in long white chemises over white trousers. 
These were two of Shamil's wives. One of them, a short, 
thin, pock-marked woman, with a crooked aquiline nose, 
hazel eyes, and a sly, malicious smile upon her thin 
lips, was named Zaidette, and appeared to be not more 
than twenty-four years of age. She was certainly not 
handsome ; but she was full of expression, and at the 
same time so graceful in all her movements, that it was 
easy to recognise in her the native of the Caucasus. 
The captives soon ascertained that she was of Tartar 
* Vide the frontispiece. 



shamil's wives. 



139 



origin, her father being Shamil's tutor, Djemmal Eddin, 
a man who exercised enormous influence over the 
Mountain Chief and all his people, and whose voice was 
all-powerful in the general councils. 

The other, named Shouanette, was an Armenian, 
born in Mosdok, and already favourably known to the 
captives by the stories of her kindness which they had 
heard on the road. She was rather more than thirty 
years of age, tall, stout, decidedly pretty, with a very fair 
fresh complexion, and a simple but exceedingly kind 
expression of countenance. From the first moment, the 
Princess felt disposed to place confidence in her, and 
addressed several questions to her through an inter- 
preter. Amongst other things, they asked whether the 
children were to be brought to them, to which Shoua- 
nette replied, also through the interpreter, that all their 
party would join them soon, but that for the present 
Shamil had thought it best to give the Princesses time 
to recover from the fatigues of their journey, after which 
they would have the children constantly with them, 
and would be allowed to select whichever of their ser- 
vants they wished to retain in their apartment. 

Before long the two wet nurses arrived with the little 
Princes Alexander and Greorge, after whom came Sa- 
lome with Vassilissa, and Madame Drancey with Marie. 

They had all, as a matter of course, to sit down upon 
the floor, and were instantly surrounded by a number 
of inquisitive women and children. The latter were 
attired in coarse dark-blue chemises; the former, in ad- 
dition to the ordinary costume, wore head-dresses in the 
Georgian style, but made of coarse linen instead of thin 



140 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS. 



gauze. Among the number of persons who were exa- 
mining them with so much curiosity, the Princess no- 
ticed one young woman of elegant appearance, and 
apparently about seventeen years of age. She was 
dressed in a figured cotton tunic, a dark-blue chemise, and 
wide red trousers, while instead of a veil she wore a large 
black silk handkerchief. Her face was brilliantly fair, 
and her nose small, thin, and somewhat retrousse. Her 
mouth was rather large, but her teeth were dazzlingly 
white, and her gums of the brightest pink. All this 
formed a very attractive ensemble, which was, more- 
over, lighted up by a pair of fine large grey eyes, expres- 
sive of gaiety, amiability, and warm-heartedness. This 
was Aminette, a native of Kistee, and Shamil's third 
wife. 

The different impressions produced upon thePrincesses 
by the very characteristic physiognomies of Shamil's 
three wives, were so far correct that they were only 
strengthened by all the incidents which occurred during 
their seven months' residence in the seraglio. Upon the 
good and bad points in the dispositions of the wives, the 
entire happiness of the captives during this period may be 
said to have depended, it being certain that for all their 
pleasures, and in an equal degree for all their annoy- 
ances, they were indebted to one or the other of those 
ladies. 

The Princesses understood this from the first, and, 
with the usual penetration of their sex, set to work 
discovering the particular qualities and defects by which 
each of the three wives was distinguished. This was 
not difficult ; but it may be repeated once for all, that 



SHAMIl/s FRENCH CONFECTIONED 



141 



the Princesses found their first impressions fully realised 
in the sequel. 

In a little while the two eldest of the wives went out, 
and returned with various refreshments, such as tea, 
honey, cheese, white bread, and, to the great astonish- 
ment of the captives, delicious sweetmeats such as can 
only be procured at one place in the Caucasus, namely, 
the shop of Toilet, the French confectioner, at Tiflis. 
The children were delighted with the refreshments, es- 
pecially with the tea. Little Tamara began to dance 
about, and at last became so playful that it was only 
with the greatest difficulty she could be put to sleep. 
In the meantime evening had become night, and one 
after another the Princesses' visitors were beginning 
to disappear, until at last the mistresses of the house 
left them alone. 

As she wished them good night, the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey turned to Shouanette, the Armenian wife, 
with a request that she would institute a search for little 
Lydia, whom she still hoped to find ; but Shouanette 
told her, laconically, to speak to the eldest. 

The Princesses, who had hitherto considered Shoua- 
nette the eldest wife, which she in fact was, as regarded 
years, suddenly discovered that precedence was taken by 
Zaidette, who was of higher descent than either of the 
others ; but it was not until some time afterwards that 
the captives learned what the rules were on this subject, 
and in what relation each of them stood to Shamil. 

The captives now began to prepare for their night's 
rest, but before lying down they made an inspection 
of the room. Pleasuring it with one of their shoes, they 



142 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



found that it was twenty-six (shoes) long, and twelve 
broad. A large portion of the apartment was occupied 
by a fireplace ; and the outer air was only admitted 
through a door and one solitary window, somewhat less 
than a quarter of a yard square. There was no furniture ; 
but the floor was covered with white felt and pieces of 
carpet of native manufacture. On shelves which pro- 
jected from the wall, about seven or eight feet from the 
ground, were three mattresses, two quilts, and two 
pillows stuffed with wool and flax. The bedding, like 
the room itself, had need of ventilation. 

When the children had fallen asleep, and the grown- 
up persons were preparing to follow their example, 
Zaidette, Shamil's eldest wife, entered, accompanied by 
Hadjio the steward, a man of fifty, with a kind but rather 
simple physiognomy. He was carrying a loaf of sugar, 
a tea-caddy containing tumblers*, and everything re- 
quisite for making tea. Hadjio had also a letter for 
the Princesses, from which it appeared that these pre- 
sents came from Nina Eristoff (General Melikoff's sister), 
at Zakatal. The captives were delighted to receive 
news from home, but were rather startled by the com- 
mencement of the letter, which congratulated them on 
being at Dargi-Vedenno. As they continued to read, 
they found that their correspondent rejoiced at Dargi- 
Vedenno having been selected as their place of impri- 
sonment, because there were other more distant and 
far less accessible aouls where they might possibly 
have been confined; besides which, at Dargi-Vedenno 

* In Russia tea is frequently drunk out of tumblers, and travelling 
tea-caddies always contain a certain number of glasses. 



A NICE BREAKFAST. 



143 



they had the advantage of being under the protection 
of Shamil himself. The letter ended with a warm 
expression of regret, from General Melikoff, at their 
present disastrous position. 

Hadjio explained to them, before he went away, that 
for once they had been allowed to receive a letter in the 
Georgian language, but that in future they must cor- 
respond with their friends in Eussian, as Shamil, who 
intended to read all their communications, had no 
Georgian interpreter. The Princesses were then left to 
themselves for the night. 

The next morning, at about nine o'clock, breakfast was 
brought in. It consisted of cheese made from sheep's 
milk, butter, onions, boiled mutton, and white bread, 
the upper crust of which was covered with a thick layer 
of grease. This, it appeared, was the custom in the Cau- 
casus ; but it was a custom to which the prisoners were 
unable to habituate themselves, and throughout their 
captivity they had to cut off the upper crust, soak the 
remainder of the loaf in water, and then dry it and hang 
it up until the greasy smell had to a great extent dis- 
appeared. 

In the course of the morning several of the other pri- 
soners were allowed to visit the captives in the seraglio ; 
and among them were the minister's daughter with her 
little sister, whom the Princess Chavchavadzey had fed 
throughout the journey. The young girl had been 
anxious to see her protector, in order to procure a wet 
nurse for the infant, as the Princess herself was no 
longer permitted to feed it : she had been informed, in 
reply to her request for permission to do so, that the child 



144 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



was not hers, and that she had nothing to do with it. 
She now wished to ascertain whether there was no woman 
about the place who could nurse the child, and was for 
some time at a loss whom to consult on the subject. 
At last she determined to take into her confidence a 
Tartar woman named Han-Aga, a short, stout, and, as 
was afterwards proved, very kind person, the wife of 
Labazan, who was head watchman of the seraglio, and 
travelling cook to Shamil, This woman having been 
made to understand the Princess's wish, ran to commu- 
nicate it to Shamil's wives ; and a nurse was at length 
procured for the little girl in whom the captives took 
so much interest. 

In the evening, Hadjio the steward announced to the 
Princesses that Shamil was about to pay them a visit, in 
order to have some important conversation with them. 
Soon afterwards the illustrious mountaineer appeared, but 
did not cross the threshold of their room. He remained 
throughout his visit in the balcony, close to the open 
door, where he was provided with a wooden stool to sit 
upon. By his side, and also outside the door, stood 
Hadjio the steward, and Indris * the Eussian interpreter. 

The captives remained in the room ; and the conver- 
sation took place through the door and by means of the 
interpreter. 

Shamil began by inquiring after their health. 
"We are tired, owing to our journey, but otherwise 
quite well, thank heaven," replied the captives. 

" I am astonished myself at your having all arrived 

* Probably a corruption of the Russian Andrei, or Andrew. " Indris n 
was a Eussian deserter. 



A VISIT FROM SHA3IIL. 



145 



in safety, and I can see in that a promise that Grod will 
now grant me the wish I have so long cherished, that of 
redeeming my son who is with the Russians. I have now 
come to assure you that you need feel no alarm about 
remaining here; no one will harm or annoy you, and you 
will be treated like the members of my own family, but 
only on one condition — that you attend strictly to my 
injunction net to write or receive letters without my 
permission. If you attempt to carry on any secret cor- 
respondence with your relations, or if they offend in 
a similar manner on then- side, then I will spare neither 
yourselves nor your children, I will kill you all as I 
killed ten Russian officers who were prisoners here and 
received a letter baked in a loaf. Their ingenuity was 
discovered, and I ordered them to have their heads cut 
off. Remember, too, the young Russian countess at 
Stavropol, who was on the point of being married when 
she was taken prisoner by my men. That girl could 
have been ransomed long ago ; but I would listen to 
none of her relatives 5 offers, because she presumed to set 
me at defiance. The same thing might happen to you : 
therefore take care what you do." 

Shamil having concluded this long speech, paused for 
a reply. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey was so enraged at Sha- 
miFs menaces that she resolved not to say a word ; 
but her sister, who was less excited, went to the door, 
and addressed him in the following terms : — 

" You need not threaten us. We have no intention 
of disobeying you. Our position and our education 
alike forbid us to have recourse to falsehood ; and you 

L 



146 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



may have entire confidence in our promises. As for 
any letters which may be addressed to us, of course we 
cannot be answerable for their contents." 

« Very well/' returned the Iman ; " but do not forget 
that you are in Shamil's power." 

This finished the interview. Shamil rose, disappeared, 
and was followed by Hadjio and the interpreter; after 
which the captives breathed freely. 

Soon after Shamil's departure the prisoners who had 
come to visit the Princesses, and who had been present 
during their interview with the Iman, were taken away. 
Some time afterwards the two eldest wives appeared, 
and promised, in accordance with a wish expressed by 
the Princesses, to endeavour to place all their servants 
with them in the same room. In default of this pre- 
caution the Princesses feared some of the number 
might be taken away to distant aonls> and perhaps lost 
sight of altogether. 

The next morning at breakfast time Shamil's daugh- 
ters entered the room. Napicette, the eldest, was the 
girl of thirteen whom the Princesses had seen as they 
were passing through the court-yard on the first day of 
their arrival. Patimatte, the second, was about ten 
years of age, and very like Napicette. These girls were 
sisters, not only by the father's side, but also through 
the mother (who was dead), to Djemmal-Eddin, Kazi- 
Machmat, and Machmat-Shabi. The youngest, Najaba + *, 
was about six years old. She was the daughter of 
Zaidette, and surpassed her elder sisters in beauty, 
though her figure was bent quite on one side — a defect 
* The Kussian j is soft, as in French (je 9 jambon, &c.). 



SHAMII/S DAUGHTERS. 



147 



which did not prevent her from climbing up the palings 
and roof of the house with all the agility of a cat. 
The children were not long forming an acquaintance 
with those of the Princesses, and— like children — they 
all set off together to play in the yard. 

The whole day was passed in introductions ; and the 
Princesses were thus made acquainted with all the 
inhabitants of the seraglio. These were as follows : — 

In addition to the persons already mentioned, therp 
was, first of all, Zaidette's step-mother, Bachtoum the 
wife of Shamil's tutor Djemmal Eddin, after whom the 
Iman's eldest son had been named. She was not more 
than thirty-five years of age, and remarkably beautiful. 

Her daughter, named Baba, a girl of seventeen, was 
of an amiable disposition, and took much pleasure in 
learning Georgian from the Princesses, This afterwards 
enabled her to give them a great deal of news, which 
was generally interesting, if not always true. She was 
exceedingly pretty, but unfortunately had a blemish in 
one of her eyes. 

In a separate compartment of the seraglio, together 
with the eldest daughters, lived Bahoo, the mother 
of ShaniiFs deceased wife, and consequently the grand- 
mother of all his children except the youngest. She 
was old, but far from feeble, and was in the habit of 
kneading the bread for all the family. She appeared to 
b^J rather a good-natured woman, but did not distin- 
guish herself one way or the other as long as the 
Princesses were in the seraglio. 

Xana, a native of Kistee, and the mother of Shamil's 
third and prettiest wife, Aminette, was another of the 

L 2 



148 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



inmates. She was no longer young, and devoted most 
of her time to cooking. The remainder of the house- 
hold consisted of — 

Hadji Kebil, a middle-aged and malicious Tartar wo- 
man, who acted as governess to Shamil's daughters ; 

Zainab, the wife of Younouss, one of the officers 
attached to Shamil's person, of middle age, with an 
open, benevolent expression of countenance, and a con- 
stant smile on her lips ; 

Ilita, the wife of Hadjio the steward, a woman who 
kept her husband constantly under her thumb.* 

In that portion of the seraglio which was devoted to 
the men and boys the inmates were — 

Machmat-Shabi, a boy of fourteen, Shamil's third 
son, extremely handsome, and equally lively and mis- 
chievous ; 

Selim, a young man, who having in his childhood 
been made prisoner on the banks of the Alazan, was at 
present a member of the body-guard, and arms-bearer 
to Shamil, to whom he was devoted. He was an 
intelligent and brave man ; and Shamil, wishing to 
strengthen his attachment as much as possible, had 
married him to a member of his household named 
Tamara, herself a captive, much older than Selim, and 
desperately fond of him. This woman was to Shamil 
an excellent guarantee of her husband's fidelity, as, for 
fear of losing him, she would be sure to inform the 
Iman the moment she suspected Selim of the slightest 
intention to escape. However, Selim had hitherto made 

* In the original, the expression is still more forcible. The exact words 
are, " under her shoe." 



shamil's household. 



149 



no attempt to free himself from his long captivity, nor 
was it likely that he would leave his numerous children, 
whom he loved sincerely. 

Finally, there were Labazan and Bey-Mourza. The 
former, as we have said, was Shamil's travelling cook 
(a post which confers no small honour and distinction) 
and the husband of the amiable Han-Aga, already in- 
troduced. The latter was one of Shamil's most devoted 
servants. They were both well-disposed persons. 

Of course, during the first few days of their residence 
in Shamil's house, the captives had not time to make 
the acquaintance of all the persons above named, 
nor did these constitute the whole of the inmates of 
the seraglio. There were many others of secondary 
importance, among whom we must mention, in par- 
ticular, a number of girls, captives as well as natives, not 
more than sixteen years of age. These girls remain with 
Shamil's family until the age of sixteen, when they 
are given in marriage to those Murids whom Shamil 
wishes to honour by some especial mark of favour. 

All those persons, however, who play a prominent 
part in the incidents about to be related have been 
already named The same system which has been 
pursued with regard to the principal characters may be 
applied to the scene of action, although the captives of 
course knew little about the position and construction 
of the seraglio until after they had lived in it a con- 
siderable period. 

Shamil's seraglio, or inner court, consists of a large 
oblong quadrangle, about seventy-five paces long and 
fifty broad, with a gallery or balcony running all round 

L 3 



150 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



the interior. A small portion of this quadrangle, near 
the gates, and immediately beneath the window of a 
room in which strangers are sometimes received, is 
cut off from the principal square by a paling which 
extends in a straight line nearly halfway across the 
seraglio. Quite at the other extremity, with a space of 
about twelve paces between either side and the wall, 
stands a detached two-storied building, surrounded by 
a covered gallery. In this building are Shamil's own 
apartments, communicating with the rest of the seraglio 
by two lines of planks laid along the ground. One 
line of boards leads straight to the room of Aminette, 
the youngest wife, the other to that of Zaidette, the 
Tartar woman. At the top of the building is a kind of 
loft to hang meat in. 

The square of the inner court, that is to say, the 
principal part of the seraglio, extending from the paling 
near the entrance to the detached building, measures 
about fifty paces either way. 

Shamil's private apartments consist of only three 
rooms, in which he may be said to pass the whole of 
his domestic life, while the political or business portion 
of his existence is confined to his " old private room " 
on the right of the gates. Here the Iman receives 
visitors, grants audiences, administers justice, and issues 
orders in connection with all kinds of civil and military 
affairs. 

The new cabinet on the left of the gates adjoins 
Shamil's treasury, a semicircular, two-storied building. 

Next to the " old private room " is a large room kept 
especially for Naibs coming to visit the Iman. In this 



THE SEKAGLIO. 



151 



apartment there are two windows, one looking towards 
the inner, the other towards the outer court. From 
the latter Shami] was in the habit of addressing the 
people when he had anything important to communi- 
cate to them ; and it was for the purpose of intercepting 
the view from the former that the paling we have 
already mentioned had been erected. This partition 
was called by the captives "the wall of jealousy/' 
and with some foundation. 

The other rooms are all indicated and described in 
the plan of the seraglio, which was sketched from 
memory by the Princess Chavchavadzey. We must add 
that each chamber has but one window and one door, 
both of which open on to the gallery ; so that there is 
no direct communication between any two apartments 
in the seraglio. It is only in the portion occupied by 
Shamil and his wives that the windows are provided 
with panes, which even then are exceedingly small. 
Each room has a grate, and all the buildings are of 
wood. 



l 4 



152 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. II. 

On the morning after Shamil's visit, that is to say, on 
the third since the arrival of the captives at Dargi-Ve- 
denno, the two eldest wives came in and told the 
Princesses that messengers had been despatched to all 
parts of the Iman's dominions in search of the Princess 
Chavchavadzey's little girl. Shamil had moreover 
ordered that all children in arms without mothers 
should be brought to his residence, and had at the same 
time sent for Nina, the nurse whom the captives had 
left with so much regret at one of the aouls on the 
road. 

The Princesses expressed their gratitude for ShamiPs 
kindness, upon which the wives informed them that 
they were to have their servants with them in the same 
room, and concluded by saying that Shamil would like 
to receive a visit from the children of his captives. 

The children were taken to him, and returned in 
great glee, laden with fruit and sweetmeats. The 
Iman's wives, who had accompanied the children, related 
that their lord, finding little Alexander in a very sickly 
state, had proposed to have him examined and treated 
by a woman who practised medicine, if the Princess 
would consent to it. The Princess accepted Shamil's 
offer ; and the next day the wife of a common moun- 



A CHECHNIAN LADY-DOCTOR. 



153 



taineer arrived, looked at the little boy, spread some 
thick ointment upon a piece of rag, and applied it to his 
stomach. Then she ordered a sheep to be slaughtered, 
and had the child wrapped up in the hot skin for the 
night. On going away she left directions to have this 
course of treatment repeated daily, and the child soon 
began slowly but steadily to recover. Unluckily, about 
this time he commenced cutting his teeth, and the ap- 
pearance of each tooth was accompanied by such violent 
fits that the Princesses sometimes feared they would 
terminate fatally. 

Shamil himself superintended the treatment, and 
had the child brought to him daily. The Princesses 
were convinced that this conduct had its origin in the 
kindest and most disinterested motives ; but it was also 
possible that Shamil might be influenced by a desire to 
preserve the son of Prince Chavchavadzey in order to be 
more certain of obtaining his own in exchange. More- 
over Shamil was determined to obtain as large a sum as 
possible for the freedom of his prisoners, and might be 
afraid of losing one of the most valuable. This last 
supposition receives some support from what Shamil 
himself said more than once on the subject. 

However, Alexander still continued unwell, and the 
obstinacy of his illness could only be explained by the 
unhealthiness of the apartment in which the captives 
were confined; for now that the Princesses had been 
joined by their servants, there were twenty persons 
living in a room less than eighteen feet square. Accord- 
ingly the sick child was taken out into the gallery, 
where he had to be nursed all night. 



154 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



The Princesses used frequently to receive visits from 
Shamil's wives, who now came in at all times merely 
for the sake of their society. The conversation was 
carried on by means of two interpreters, — one a Georgian 
girl of sixteen, who had been taken prisoner when she 
was a child, and whose reminiscences of her native 
tongue were veiy slight ; and the other a Touchian * 
about thirty-five years of age, who, although she was 
quite grown up at the time of her capture, had also 
nearlv forgotten the language of Georgia. However, 
by means of these women, the Princesses and Shamil's 
wives were able to interchange remarks. The observa- 
tions of the wives were very characteristic, and exhibited 
in a striking manner the disposition of each. Shouanette 
always inquired about the Princess Chavchavadzey's 
husband, and the family affairs of both, whereas 
Zaidette was perpetually putting questions to them on 
the subject of their fortune, and did not conceal her wish 
to ascertain what amount of ransom Shamil might ex- 
pect for them. However Zaidette ascertained nothing 
by her inquiries, as the Princesses assured them, very 
justly, that they had lost all they possessed with 
Tsenondahl. 

" But perhaps you have money buried somewhere ? " 
persisted Zaidette. 

" We have nothing of the kind buried," replied the 
Princesses. "It is not the custom in our country to 
conceal treasures in the earth." 

It was impossible not to feel well disposed towards 



* A tribe at the foot of the Caucasus, not far from Tiflis. 



THE TWO WIVES IN CHIEF. 



155 



the other wives, who never annoyed and irritated the 
captives by such questions as the above. 

Shouanette for some time appeared to be on her 
guards and was rather silent, as though waiting to learn 
more of the captives' dispositions. This cautiousness did 
not please every one ; and the Princess Orbeliani looked 
upon it as dissimulation, while Madame Drancey plainly 
accused Shouanette of treachery. Indeed, in comparing 
Shouanette and Zaidette, the French lady went so far 
as to express her preference of the latter. " Elle a 
Fair distingue/' she said. 

The Princess Chavehavadzey, however, still preferred 
Shouanette; and we shall see from the sequel that she was 
not mistaken. Two weeks had now passed away, when 
Daniel-Sultan * and several Xaibs arrived at Shamil's 
house. They remained with him several days, and lived 
in the visitors 5 room next the " old private room.*' They 
were attended by Labazan, Bey-Mirza, and Selim, with 
all of whom we have already made acquaintance. These 
men had to serve the Xaibs 5 meals, and, on coming out of 
the room with the remains, always gave some delicate 
morsels to the Princesses 5 servants, who waited for them 
in the gallery. 

The Princesses themselves were not allowed to enter 
the gallery ; and they were living a life of the most 
tiresome monotonv, broken only bv an occasional oleam 
of hope, when one morning they were suddenly in- 

* This chief, formerly the Han, or Khan, of Elisei, and a major- 
general in the Russian service, had deserted to ShamiL His name had 
once great influence in the mountains ; but it is said that the suspicious 
Iman does not place entire confidence in him. 



156 



CAPTIVITY IX THE CAUCASUS. 



formed that a parcel had been sent to them by their 
relatives. This caused them the liveliest joy, not for 
the sake of the contents, but from the mere fact 
that it came from Kahetia, and reminded them that 
their friends were constantly thinking of them. Such 
moments as these were the only really happy ones 
the Princesses knew during their long and tedious cap- 
tivity. Each present brought with it the image of the 
person who sent it 9 and the conversation would then 
soon become converted into a chorus of home re- 
miniscences. 

It was twilight before the parcel in question was 
given into the Princesses' hands, so that they passed 
the whole day in pleasant anticipations as to what it 
contained. It consisted of stockings, soap, combs, 
shoes, and towels ; and as it was not accompanied by a 
letter, the captives were for some time at a loss to dis- 
cover who had sent it. At last, they found the initials 
L. X. embroidered in the corner of one of the handker- 
chiefs, and at once determined that the present came 
from Louis XicolaL The children jumped about with 
delight, when they heard the name of their relative, 
who could scarcely have imagined the joyful effect which 
his parcel was destined to produce. 

The delight of the captives astonished the inhabitants 
of the seraglio. Zaidette and some of the other women 
inquired the cause, but were not satisfied with the 
explanation that was given to them, being unable to 
comprehend how such a trifling present could produce 
such infinite joy. 

Among the contents of Baron Nicolai's parcel, the 



A PARCEL FROM HOME, 



157 



Princesses were much rejoiced at finding a copy of the 
es Imitation of Jesus Christ." 

A week after the arrival of the parcel the Princesses 
were informed that a man from Eahetia had just reached 
the aoul, and was waiting to see them. 

The captives inquired in vain who the visitor was, and 
from what part of Kahetia he came. Next morning, 
however, Nicolas, a serf belonging to the estate of one of 
the Princesses' relatives, presented himself.* 

Nicolas's interview with the Princesses lasted about ten 
minutes. Neither he nor they were allowed to approach 
the door, they being inside the room while he was kept 
in the courtyard near the balcony. A crowd of servants 
surrounded Nicolas as long as he remained talking with 
the Princesses, probably with the view of repeating the 
conversation to Shamil. Consequently he said but 
little, and confined himself to assuring them that their 
friends were constantly occupying themselves about their 
liberation, and that Prince David Chavchavadzey, who 
was at Tiflis, was quite well. The captives, on their side, 
told Nicolas that negotiations ought to be opened in the 
first instance, and without delay, for the release of the 
children and invalids. The parting did not take place 
without tears : and Nicolas, as he went away, expressed 
his astonishment at the thinness of the captives, saying 
that it was impossible to recognise the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey. 

Two days afterwards, when the faithful Nicolas 

* Nicolas himself proposed to visit the Princesses ; and afterwards, in 
return for the courage and devotion which had prompted him to make 
so dangerous a journey, received his freedom. 



158 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



returned to Hassaff-Yourt, where Prince David was 
waiting for him, his account of the Princesses' appear- 
ance and the hardships they were suffering had the 
effect of hastening the commencement of negotiations ; 
and, without waiting for any proposition from Shamil, 
Prince Chavchavadzey at once despatched a letter on the 
subject to the Iman. 

Nicolas had brought a letter to the captives from 
Baroness Nicolai * ; but it was not given to them until 
after the interview, and probably not until Shamil had 
read it himself. The letter informed them that Prince 
Chavchavadzey was well and staying in the house of the 
writer at Tifiis ; that he was on the point of starting for 
Hassaff-Yourt (on the frontiers of Shamil's territory) ; 
that the news of the calamity which had happened to the 
Princesses had been forwarded to their relatives at 
Moscow, but that it had been kept secret from their old 
father the Tsarevitch of Georgia. 

It has been already mentioned that the Tsarevitch 
died before the news of the incursion into Kahetia 
reached him ; but the baroness was naturally anxious to 
spare the captives the shock such a communication 
* would have caused them. The Princesses had already 
suffered so much that their correspondent may be readily 
excused for having wished to save them the infliction of 
a fresh pang ; but from what afterwards occurred, it ap- 
peared that it would have been better for them if they 
had heard the truth in the first instance. 

Zaidette and the steward Hadjio, who brought the 

* The Baroness Nicolai was Princess Chavchavadzey by birth, being 
the sister of Prince David. 



TRADUTTORE TRADITORE. 



159 



Princesses the letter, accused them of endeavouring to 
deceive Shamil. 

" Why do they advise you to conceal your father's 
name/' said they, " if there is no intention of misleading 
him?" 

The Princesses assured them that the letter contained 
no such advice ; that it merely stated how the news of 
their captivity had been kept from their father, who was 
an old man and might have been hurried to the grave 
by the information ; and finally that the letter had in all 
probability been badly translated to Shamil. 

But the assurances of the Princesses were in vain. 
They were overwhelmed with reproaches, and even 
threats. Accordingly they requested that the letter 
might be translated to Shamil again, not by Indris, the 
ordinary interpreter, but by some other person. The 
steward replied that this was useless, that Indris was a 
good interpreter, and that he had already given the 
correct translation of the letter. 

The Princesses feared serious consequences might 
result from the suspicion cast upon them, and were 
much grieved at not having an opportunity granted 
them of proving the truth of what they had asserted. 
Shouanette, who had hitherto been silent and re- 
served, now showed what a really kind heart she pos- 
sessed. She took the unlucky letter herself and set 
off to her husband ; and the same day Shamil sent for 
another interpreter, an Armenian named Shah-Abbas, 
who, on his arrival, was ordered to translate the passage 
which had caused so much excitement and controversy. 
The version of Shah-Abbas was satisfactory; but the 



160 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Princesses had made a determined enemy of Indris, who 
was reprimanded by Shamil for his mistranslation, and 
excluded for the future from the Iman's interviews with 
the captives. Indris attempted to justify himself, saying 
that the letter was badly written and almost illegible ; 
but these excuses availed nothing in the eyes of his 
chief, and the enraged deserter from that moment 
nourished projects of vengeance against the Princesses. 
When there was anything disagreeable to tell them, and 
Shah- Abbas in the goodness of his heart hesitated about 
communicating it, Indris was always delighted to con- 
vey the disagreeable information himself, and more 
than once he undertook the pleasing task of acquainting 
the prisoners with the unreasonable decisions of the 
National Council respecting their liberation. 

The National Council is not such an unimportant 
institution as is imagined by those who believe in the 
despotic and unlimited power of Shamil. As a proof of 
this it need only be stated that, during the negotiations 
for the liberation of the Princesses, Shamil had not the 
power to diminish the sum fixed by the National 
Council for their ransom, though, for his own part, he 
was only anxious to obtain his son from the Eussians. 

After the affair of the mistranslated letter, the captives 
became more intimate with Shouanette, and there was no 
longer any difference of opinion as to her disposition. 
Shouanette, on her side, became kinder every day to the 
captives, and visited them constantly, whereas Zaidette 
now went but seldom into their room. 

Soon afterwards Shouanette obtained permission for 
the Princesses to go out of their close room into the 



shouanette's cousins. 



161 



gallery, but only upon condition that they would never 
appear there when Shamil could see them. This con- 
dition, as it afterwards turned out, had been invented 
by the jealous Zaidette; but, however that may have 
been, the Princesses observed it most scrupulously, and 
never entered the balcony until after Shamil had said his 
evening prayer, and retired to rest. 

Late at night, when there was no longer any obstacle 
to their appearance, they entered the gallery, and sat 
down on a bench to enjoy the fresh air of which they 
had so long been deprived. They were then joined by 
Shamil's wives and children, the servants, and generally 
all who felt any curiosity about them. But their most 
constant visitor was the beautiful Shouanette. She had 
now made up her mind to talk with them in the 
Eussian language ; and although she had much difficulty 
in doing so, she contrived to make herself understood 
without the assistance of interpreters, and was conse- 
quently enabled to speak much more freely than she had 
done before. Shouanette spoke on several occasions of 
the rules and customs of the seraglio. Her cousins had 
at one time been in the habit of coming to see her from 
Mosdok; but at last their visits were forbidden, and 
Shouanette was assured that the Eussian Government 
had objected to them. She also mentioned many par- 
ticulars about her early life, and her marriage with 
Shamil, and dwelt especially on the profound affection 
she entertained for him. 

These interesting conversations generally lasted until 
a very late hour, and, as we have before stated, did not 
begin until after Shamil had retired to rest. 

M 



162 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



We may here state how Shamil is in the habit of 
passing his day. 

He rises at six. At seven he takes tea, with milk 
and buns. This is prepared and taken to him by 
Shouanette. 

He is then occupied alone, or receives visits, until 
one o'clock, when he dines. The dinner is very simple, 
and is brought to him by Zaidette and Shouanette. 

After dinner he is again alone until nine, when he 
sups, and at eleven goes to bed. 

On Friday he spends a portion of his time at the 
mosque. 

It will be seen from the above programme that 
Aminette, the beauty of seventeen, is kept at a dis- 
tance, and has no share at all in waiting upon the lord 
of the seraglio. It is difficult to say what Shamil's 
feelings towards her really are, but he appeared to look 
upon her more as a plaything than as a wife or a com- 
panion, and in the every-day life of the seraglio we find 
that she is quite in the background. Notwithstanding 
this, Aminette seemed to be more in Shamil's favour 
than Zaidette ; and the Princesses ascertained that the 
latter took precedence of the other wives simply be- 
cause she was the daughter of one of the most im- 
portant of Shamil's advisers. Probably his union with 
Zaidette was what is called a mariage cV inter et, and he 
had only chosen her in order to strengthen his friendship 
with Djemmal-Eddin, whose influence on the people 
was very great. 

But the ruler of Shamil's heart was beyond doubt 
Shouanette. Zaidette certainly directed the household 



THE THREE RIVALS. 



163 



affairs of the seraglio in a despotic manner; but 
Shouanette gave up those cares the more willingly that 
it allowed her time to occupy herself with what was 
more important in her eyes, namely, the means of 
pleasing her husband, and preserving his affection. 
And Shouanette was right ; for while Zaidette was dirty 
and in disorder, jingling her keys in the midst of the 
servants, and wholly absorbed in her common-place oc- 
cupation, she was always neatly and tastefully dressed, 
and ready at any moment to appear in all her charms 
before Shamil. As for Aminette, she was as yet too young 
to enter into such contests, and probably that very fact 
rendered it unnecessary for her to do so, for youth was 
precisely the quality in which her rivals were beginning 
to fail. 



21 2 



164 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. III. 

One evening the Princesses had gone into the gallery 
as usual, and had taken their seats on the bench in 
order to enjoy the freshness of the moonlight night after 
the overwhelming heat of an August day, when Shamil's 
two eldest wives entered, and sat down beside them. 

"This morning," commenced Zaidette, "we saw a 
woman whose son took part in the incursion into 
Kahetia, and was in your house at Tsenondahl. He 
was astonished at so much riches, and could scarcely 
believe that all he saw belonged to one man." 

" Yes," answered the Princess Chavchavadzey, " that 
was all ours ; but it is all gone now, and really we shall 
not regret it if Grod will only permit us to return to 
our native land." 

"What!" interrupted Zaidette eagerly; "then you 
will be compensated for all you have lost?" 

The Princess comprehended the avarice that dic- 
tated this question of Zaidette's, but was silent on the 
subject, and calmly replied, 

" I shall not have a quarter of what I had before ; 
but I shall forget my misfortunes in the society of my 
husband and children." 

" Yes, you are happy ; in your families there is only 
one wife, but with us " 



THE WIFE AND THE HOUSEKEEPER. 



165 



Here Shouanette interposed with warmth : 
" That is true/' she said in Russian, "the law is dif- 
ferent here ; but I willingly submit to it, for Shamil is 
so just and honourable that we have never any cause to 
complain of him, and to do so only proves incapacity 
to appreciate him. He makes no difference whatever 
between us." 

Shouanette was not speaking very candidly now ; for 
she knew that she was ShamiPs real wife, and that 
Zaidette was only his housekeeper. 

"He treats our children equally well," continued 
Shouanette. " I was in Eussia when I was very young, 
but I understood what was passing around me, and saw 
and heard a great deal, and I can assure you that Shamil, 
though a Tartar*, is better than many Christians." 

The Princesses were much interested by these conver- 
sations, which generally exhibited the egotism of Zaidette 
and the elevated love of Shouanette in the most striking 
contrast. The following incident will also serve to show 
how very different were the dispositions of the two. 

The day after the conversation about the Mahometan 
and Christian systems of matrimony, the Princesses re- 
marked that in one of the corners of the courtyard 
some builders were at work (they were constructing 
Shamil's new private room on the left of the gates). 
Zaidette informed them that this was intended for them 
and the other captives, and proposed that they should 
go and look at it. The Princesses set off with their 
conductress, who, however, led the Princess Chavchav- 



* That is to say, a Mussulman. 
M 3 



166 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



adzey mysteriously on one side, and said to her, still 
more mysteriously, through the interpreter, a girl of 
thirteen, — 

" May I be unreserved with you ? " 

"I shall not repeat anything you say," was the 
answer. 

" Listen, then/' commenced Zaidette. " I am out of 
health. I have been ill ever since my first confinement, 
and it appears doubtful whether I shall ever have any 
more children. This makes my position worse every 
day, and Shouanette is gradually taking entire possession 
of Shamil. If I were to have a son," she continued, 
" Shamil would love me again." 

This one, reflected the Princess, loves him too, 
but only with the selfish love of Tartar women, whereas 
to Shouanette his fame is dear. She loves him for his 
own sake, and is ready to hate any one who would dare 
to speak against the possessor of her heart. 

" What is it to me that they pay me all the respect 
due to the eldest wife?" added the neglected Zaidette; 
" I feel, I see, that in reality Shouanette reigns. And I 
know that you can assist me." 

" But how can I help you ? " asked the Princess. 

" I will tell you. I have been terribly drugged, but 
no medicine does me the least good. At last I have 
been advised to write to some doctor in Russia. Say 
that you are ill, and require a Russian doctor. Shamil 
will instantly send to your relatives, and they will do 
anything for you." 

"Xo, Zaidette, that could never be managed. No 
doctor would consent to come, for fear of either losing 
his life, or being kept a prisoner here for ever." 



ZAIDETTE INDISPOSED. 



167 



u Then ask them to send you some medicine. Say 
that you have my illness." 

The Princess agreed to this, and the affair was settled. 
A letter was sent to Hassaff-Yourt, and the messenger 
soon afterwards returned with the medicine required. 
This was repeated several times ; and as long as Zaidette 
was under medical treatment, her conduct to the captives 
was amiable enough. She gave them extra dishes at 
dinner, frequently brought them fruit, and never said 
anything disagreeable. This from Zaidette was aston- 
ishing, but her kindness soon came to an end. It is 
unknown what direct effect the medicine had upon her ; 
but it is certain that when she gave up taking it her 
attention to the captives suddenly ceased, their portions 
at dinner were diminished, there were no signs whatever 
of fruit, and on the very first opportunity the greedy 
Tartar woman reappeared in all her native moral de- 
formity. 

This opportunity occurred as follows. Mohammed, 
an inhabitant of one of the villages on the frontier, and 
his friend Hassan, also from the vicinity of Hassaff- 
Yourt, had been chosen by General Xicolai, as bold, 
sagacious men, to open negotiations for the liberation of 
the captives. They arrived at Dargi-Yedenno with a 
letter to the Princesses, which merely informed them 
that Prince David was at Hassaff-Yourt, and that the 
messengers were commissioned to treat for their release. 
The captives were asked to come out on to the balcony, 
in order to see the men who had arrived from Georgia to 
speak about the ransom, and found Hassan, Mohammed, 
and one Hadji, the brother of the latter, waiting for 

H 4 



168 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



them in the courtyard. The envoys informed the 
Princesses that it was Shamil's intention to demand a 
ransom of five million roubles % and asked whether 
there was any chance of their relatives paying that sum. 

The Princesses answered that all their relatives to- 
gether never had, and never would possess such a sum. 

" But about how much do you think they could pay ? " 
inquired the messengers. 

66 We do not know. Either nothing or very little." 

On hearing this reply Hadjio, Zaidette, and those 
who were with them, began to prove that it was 
quite possible for their relatives to pay a large amount 
for them, and began to dispute on the subject, but of 
course without arriving at any conclusion. The discus- 
sion continued during the two following days ; and among 
other arguments, more or less absurd, which Zaidette 
advanced, was one that was very original. 

Producing a number of the Russian Invalid} (of the 
6th-9th August), Zaidette pointed out a paragraph in 
which it was stated that a sum of several millions had 
been granted for some special purpose by the English 
Government. 

"You see," said Hadjio at the same time, "that 
such sums do exist in the world. If the Queen of Eng- 
land can pay millions, surely the Empress of Eussia 
can do the same." 

* About 830,000/. sterling. 

t The " Rousky Invalid" of St. Petersburg!], and the " Kavkas" of 
Tinis (in which the substance of the present narrative originally appeared) 
are received regularly at Dargi-Vedenno — by what means it is impos- 
sible to say. The interpreter, Shah- Abbas, used to read them to Shamil, 
and they were afterwards lent to the Princesses. 



queen Victoria's wealth. 



169 



et It is quite possible that the Empress of Russia may 
possess five million roubles, or even more/' replied the 
Princess Chavchavadzey : " you must remember, how- 
ever, that you have not taken her prisoner, but only us." 

The answer pleased Hadjio, who smiled, and ap- 
peared anxious to terminate the conversation ; but 
Zaidette was not to be silenced so easily. 

" In the house at Tsenondahl," she continued — ad- 
dressing the Princess Orbeliani — " a quantity of papers 
were found, among which were several signed by your 
husband. Can you not obtain the money for them, and 
give it to us?" 

" That money, according to our law, belongs to my 
husband's heir, that is to say, to my son George, and 
will not be received until he is of age," answered the 
Princess. 

" Then your son will remain until he is of age with 
us," pursued Zaidette, apparently much pleased with 
her retort. 

These ill-natured, malicious remarks perplexed and 
disheartened the captives, and the Princess Orbeliani 
burst into tears. 

"Do not cry," continued the Tartar woman, rejoicing 
in the latter's grief ; " your little boy is strong, and will 
grow up hardy among our mountains." 

The Princess had nothing to reply, and did not wish 
to continue the conversation. 

In the evening the envoys from Kahetia were again 
brought to the Princesses' balcony, and Hadjio proposed 
that they should write to Prince David, informing him 
of Shamil's demand, and urging him to comply with it. 



170 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



The Princesses wrote a letter, which was taken to 
Shamil, and returned by him to the writers. 

They then composed a second letter, which was 
approved of, and sent off to Hassaff-Yourt by the mes- 
sengers. 

Soon afterwards occurred another of those disagreeable 
scenes for which the captives had to thank Zaidette, 
and in which Shouanette always appeared like a good 
angel. 

Zaidette wished to recommence the conversation 
about the five millions, and finding the Princesses would 
not talk on the subject, took away a little girl of five 
years old, named Thecla, and placed her in her mother- 
in-law's room, with Shamil's children. Zaidette then 
caressed the little girl, and told her she would be much 
happier where she was than in Kahetia ; for that here 
she would be equal to any one, whereas in her own 
country she would only be a servant. Of course the 
little girl was unable to understand all this, and did 
nothing but cry. The Princesses on their side were in- 
dignant at the child being taken from them. Be- 
yond the mere offence of removing her violently from 
their room, they were deeply grieved at the thought of 
the future which Zaidette was preparing for her, and 
above all were shocked at the prospect of a Christian 
soul being lost in Islamism. They protested loudly 
against Zaidette's tyranny, and went so far as to reproach 
Shamil for permitting it. Then Zaidette lost all pa- 
tience, and screamed out to the captives, — 

" How dare you rebel against the Iman ? He is a 
holy man, and you are his captives and slaves." 



ZAIDETTE INDIGNANT. 



171 



These words were translated to the Princesses by 
Shouanette, who added hurriedly in Kussian, " never say 
anything against Shamil. When you have lived here a 
little time, you will see that he is a kind and just man. 
He is obliged to convince the people who took you 
prisoners, and who have a right to expect a ransom, that 
he is working for their benefit ; and besides it is unsafe 
to talk as you do before persons who can understand 
what you say, and repeat your words, with additions of 
their own, to Shamil." 

The Princesses were quieted, and felt more dis- 
posed than ever in favour of Shouanette. Their indis- 
cretion in the meanwhile had no bad result, thanks, no 
doubt, to Shouanette's manner of explaining it. 

-Many days were now passed in the most monotonous 
manner while the Princesses were waiting for answers 
to the letters they had sent to Hassaff-Yourt by Mo- 
hammed and Hassan. But during this time Aminette, 
Shamil's youngest wife, became more intimate with 
them, and the captives had much pleasure in studying 
her wild, untutored disposition. 

Aminette for a long time appeared to avoid any close 
acquaintance with the Princesses, who only saw her as 
she was passing, or at a distance in Shouanette's room 
where she often sat singing and doing her work. She 
had a beautiful voice, and sang her half-forgotten sono-s 
of Kistee in a very agreeable manner. At other times 
she was to be seen in the midst of the children, with 
whom she ran races, jumped, and occasionally climbed 
on to the roof of the seraglio, when she would look long 
and earnestly into the distance, perhaps in the direction 



172 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



of her native land. At last, little by little, Aminette 
began to find a pleasure in conversing with the captives, 
and finally became quite intimate with them. She was 
altogether a child of nature, and with a certain amount of 
sense she at the same time exhibited feeling, affection, 
and a childish simplicity, which was very attractive, and 
at the same time deeply affecting. Aminette understood 
her position, and submitted to it carelessly. She envied 
no one, and hated no one but Zaidette, whom she never- 
theless frequently forgave with the most sincere gene- 
rosity. On one occasion when Aminette was alone with 
the captives, she gave them the following account of 
herself. 

" I am indebted for everything I possess to Shamil," 
she commenced. " I was taken captive when very young, 
and brought straight to his house. I was of the same 
age as his son Kazi-Machmat, and we played and 
grew up together ; and I was not unhappy, although I 
could not help hoping that I might some day return 
to my native land to my mother and sisters. But 
when I grew up, and Shamil made me his wife, that 
hope disappeared for ever. Then I endeavoured to 
make them bring my mother to me from Kistee. 
Shamil at last complied with my wish, and my mother 
was sent for. Kazi-Machmat was married about 
the same time, and sent away to govern his pro- 
vince, and I remained quite alone ; that is to say, not 
altogether alone, for there are a great many persons 
here, but I could not become intimate with them as I 
had been with Kazi-Machmat from the period of in- 
fancy. I do not like Zaidette; she is mean, jealous, 



THE YOUNG WIFE. 



173 



and a wicked woman in all respects. She is never 
satisfied. The whole house is entrusted to her, but no 
one can please her, and she is on bad terms with every 
one. I love Shouanette, and who would not love her ? 
She is good to all who come near her. She does not in- 
terfere in the household affairs and do the work of the 
servants, but she will intercede with Shamil for any 
one, and will take all kinds of trouble to benefit another 
person. However, there is not much friendship even 
between myself and her. She is much older than I am ; 
and, somehow or other, we never agree. And Xapicette 
is too young for me ; so that altogether I live mostly by 
myself " 

tc And your husband Shamil ? " suggested the Prin- 
cesses. 

" Shamil ? I somehow or other cannot get accus- 
tomed to him ; when I am in his presence I am almost 
afraid to breathe." 

The unreserved confession of the beautiful Kistian 
explained a great deal of the life in the seraglio to the 
Princesses, and confirmed on many points their own 
guesses and conclusions. 

Another time Aminette described to the captives the 
manners and customs of the people among whom she 
was fated to pass her monotonous life. The Princesses 
would thus have been in a position to give interesting 
particulars respecting the marriages and funerals of the 
mountaineers; only they unfortunately could not re- 
member enough of Aminette's descriptions to enable 
them to do so with the necessary completeness. 



174 



CAPTIYITT IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. IV. 

On the 29th of August, Shouanette was taken ill, and 
on the 30th she was brought to bed of a little girl. 
Shamil visited his favourite several times. Sometimes 
he went into the room, and at others only approached 
the door and inquired after her health. Aminette 
never left the invalid, but Zaidette visited her very 
seldom, and was enraged that Shamil " troubled 
himself too much about her." Shamil was in 
reality very anxious about Shouanette, whose illness 
had assumed a dangerous turn ; and there was a time 
when all the seraglio, including even Zaidette, partook 
of Shamil's uneasiness. In the midst of the general 
confusion Zaidette ran one morning into the captives' 
rooms, and solemnly addressed them as follows : 

"Probably you have evil objects about you, such as 
watches or something of that kind, which do us harm. 
Therefore do not go out on the gallery any more until 
Shouanette is better." 

In this seemingly superstitious injunction there was 
not so much absurdity as at first appeared. The cap- 
tives soon perceived that it was caused by the same 
fears that Zaidette had once before evinced, and that 
she was afraid lest Shamil, in crossing the gallery to 
go to Shouanette's room, might see them and feel more 



AREIYAL OF EAZI-MACHMAT. 



175 



favourably disposed towards them than would be agree- 
able to her. 

The captives had to submit to Zaidette's orders, and 
again remained shut up for several days in their close, 
suffocating room. 

About that time the news was spread through the 
seraglio that Kazi-Machmat had arrived ; and soon after- 
wards the captives heard the report of firearms, which 
were being discharged in the outer court in honour of 
his visit. In the seraglio all was joy and excitement, 
expressed in a general running to and fro. The Prin- 
cesses' servants ran to the gates, and on their return 
related that a crowd of persons had assembled in the 
outer court and were kissing the skirt of Kazi-Mach- 
mat's dress. Then the gates were opened, and Kazi- 
Machmat rode into the interior court. He proceeded 
in the direction of the apartments of his grandmother 
Bahoo, pulled up before the gallery in front of her 
room, dismounted, and ran to greet her. Immediately 
afterwards his servant entered the courtyard, and the 
Princesses were informed that this was his favourite 
attendant, and that he was an Armenian captive named 
Mouslin. 

The Princesses had already seen Kazi-Machmat at the 
tower of Pohali, but at that time they were not in a 
suitable frame of mind to pay much attention to Sha- 
mil's heir.* At present they had a good opportunity of 
examining him. He was a young man of about twenty 

* Djemmal-Eddin, the eldest son, had been so long in Russia, and 
there was so little chance of his ever returning to his father, that the 
second son had been named heir in his place. 



176 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



years of age, fair, a little marked with the small pox, 
with large and rather prominent features, tall, slim, 
well-formed, and graceful. Like the Mingrelians, he 
accompanies his words with rather affected gestures ; but 
they become him, and enable him to exhibit a great 
deal of natural grace. 

While Mouslin was engaged unharnessing and putting 
up the horses, Kazi-Machmat came out of his grand- 
mother's apartment, and meeting Hadjio the steward, 
went with him to visit his father. After remaining 
some time with Shamil, he came out and proceeded 
along the court to the apartment of Shouanette, in- 
quired after her health, and then returned to his grand- 
mother and sisters, with whom he remained until the 
evening. In the evening he went out with his father 
to the mosque.* 

During their absence Aminette entered the Prin- 
cesses' room in a state of great delight, and invited 
them to come and hear Kazi-Machmat's people sing. 
The Princesses went out into the gallery, sat down 
upon the bench, and listened to the mountaineers, 
who had taken up their position in Kazi-Machmat's 
room and were chanting in chorus the " Lia-illiahi- 
il- Allah," the only thing the Murids are allowed 
to sing. The air was much more agreeable than 

* Friday was Shamil's usual day for attending the mosque, when he 
dressed himself either in white, in green, or in red, with the exception of 
his chalma, which was always white. On these occasions his wives used 
to run to the partition known as the "wall of jealousy," and peep 
through some crevice to see the solemn procession go forth. After 
Shamil's departure Shouanette arranges his bedchamber, and Aminette 
shakes the carpets and sets his reception-rooms in order. 



MESSENGERS FROM HOME. 



177 



those to which the ordinary residents had accustomed 
them. These latter airs, nevertheless, made a great 
impression on the Princess Chavchavadzey's children, 
who were in the habit of singing them after they 
returned to Kahetia, where the Mahometan chants, as 
executed by the Christian children, produced the 
strangest effect. 

A few days after the arrival of Kazi-Machniat, Daniel- 
Sultan returned with several Naibs. The Naibs com- 
posed ShamiPs superior council, and they were now 
coming to Dargi-Vedenno for a special deliberation, 
Selim, who waited upon the visitors, told the captives 
that the council was being held with the view of coming 
to some decision respecting them ; but what the precise 
subject of discussion was did not appear. Daniel-Sultan 
mentioned that, during the attack on Kahetia, it was 
Prince David who had conducted the defence of Shildy ; 
and Selim assured the Princesses that Shamil had 
spoken of him with the greatest respect, and had said 
that he esteemed bravery, even in an enemy. Selim 
argued from this that the captives would at present be 
better treated than before ; but his anticipations proved 
to be incorrect, 

Mohammed now arrived for the second time from 
Hassaff-Yourt. He had been instructed to see all the 
captives himself, and was the bearer of a letter to the 
Princesses, inclosing ten roubles. * The prisoners were 
all taken out into the yard for Mohammed to see them ; 

* About thirty-three shillings. To have sent more would have been 
imprudent, and indeed useless, as a large sum would never have reached 
its destination. 



178 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



and both he and the interpreter Shah- Abbas were much 
struck by the change which had taken place in their 
appearance, for they had now grown terribly thin. 

Prince David's letter to the Princesses announced 
that he was making all his endeavours to get Shamil's 
son, Djemmal-Eddin to exchange for them, but that 
hitherto he had met with but little success. The Prince 
also wrote to Shamil, and forwarded several letters to 
the Princesses from various relatives of theirs. 

The captives' life continued as before, the monotony 
being only broken by occasional domestic incidents of 
no very great importance. Thus, for instance, on the 
night of the 10th or 11th of September one of the 
Princesses' servants announced that she was on the 
point of being confined. The woman who cooked the 
captives' meals ran to call Zaidette, who instantly 
appeared, ordered the patient to be provided with a bed, 
and found a nurse for her among the Georgian captives. 
The patient's sufferings were long. At dawn Aminette 
came running in (she never walked; she always ran), 
and, as soon as she learnt what the matter was, set off to 
Shouanette's room and brought back the latter's nurse, 
who had attended her throughout her recent confine- 
ment. At noon a boy was born, and at the same time 
shots were fired in the courtyard by the mountaineers, 
who regarded the birth of a male child as a good omen 
for the house. Soon afterwards a fat sheep was killed, 
roasted, and sent to the captives. 

The next day the captives saw Shouanette. She had 
passed through her period of purification, and forthwith 
hurried to see her captive friends. The Princesses were 



AN ADDITION TO THE FAMILY, 179 

astonished at the beauty of their visitor. She had be- 
come somewhat thinner and paler; and this thinness 
and paleness became her in a remarkable manner, and 
gave her an expression of languor which made her what 
is called " interesting." All the captives congratulated 
Shouanette with one voice; and Zaidette, hearing the 
congratulations, compressed her lips with evident an- 
noyance. Shouanette was a little confused, and said,— 

" But my child is very ugly, it is so small and so 
thin. Shamil wishes me to nurse it myself, but I cannot.* 
What am I to do ? I worry myself about it so much 
that I cannot sleep at night." 

" If that be the case you ought certainly to have a 
wet nurse," said the Princess. 

" But no wet nurse would come here," replied Shoua- 
nette ; " and I should not like to let the child be taken 
away among strangers." 

" But they would bring it to you from time to time." 

" Yes, if it were well ; but if it should happen to be 
ill, they would not wish to show it to me. You already 
know that we cannot quit the seraglio under any pre- 
text whatever." 

After this conversation Shouanette left the Princess, - 
in a state of great agitation. But they soon afterwards 
heard that all had been arranged, and that she had 
taken Han-Aga (Labazan's wife) for wet nurse. The 
Tartar woman fed the child through the night, and 
Shouanette fed it through the day. 

All these minute details of the life of the seraglio 

* Shamil had expressed this wish at the suggestion of Zaidette, 
N 2 



180 



CAPTITITY m THE CAUCASUS, 



interested the captives very ranch from their novelty and 
originality. But soon they had neither time nor incli- 
nation for paying attention to such matters. The Prin- 
cess Chavchavadzey fell ill ; and Shamil's mother-in-law^ 
Bahoo, came with his two eldest wives to visit the 
invalid, when it was determined that half the servants 
should be taken away, in order to leave more space in 
the room and render it less suffocating. 

The servants were much alarmed by this decision. 
They were afraid of being lost if they were once taken 
out into the aoul, and begged with tears and sobs to be 
allowed to remain with the Princesses. The Princesses 
themselves joined in their entreaties, and they were all 
left together as before. 

About this time Zachar, one of Prince Gregory 
Orbeliani's* servants, arrived at Vedenno. He was 
acquainted with the language of Chechni, and requested 
permission to visit the Princesses. This was granted, 
and he was enabled to see in what confinement they 
lived, and on what bad food they subsisted. The letters 
which he brought to the captives were, as usual, full of 
encouragement and hope, and expressed a conviction 
that their liberation would soon be effected. 

In the evening of the same day the Princesses were 
informed that Prince David had offered Shamil a ransom 
of four azariej The Princesses did not understand the 

* The brother of the Princess Orbeliani's late husband, holding the 
rank of Lieutenant-General, and commanding the army between 
Daghestan and the Caspian Sea. This general gained an important 
victory over the mountaineers in the summer of the present year. 

f The Lesghian azaria is equal to ten thousand roubles. 



NAMING THE CHILD. 



181 



meaning of the word, and remained as ignorant as they 
were before of the amount proposed. 

Zachar returned to Hassaff-Yourt with letters from 
the captives and from Shamil ; and the usual monotony 
again prevailed in the seraglio. Among the few things 
which occurred to interest them were the ceremony of 
naming Shouanette's little child; and the celebration of 
the Mussulman festival of the Bairam. At other times, 
too, they were amused by the childlike innocence of 
Aniinette, and once they were allowed to go out into the 
aoul and take the only walk that was allowed them 
during their captivity, Of these events we shall speak 
in the order in which they occurred. 

The ceremony of naming ShamiFs daughter was per- 
formed with some solemnity. 

Early in the morning the most important ladies of the 
aoul, that is to say, the wives of the Xaibs, assembled in 
Shouanette's room. Then the steward Hadjio read some 
prayers from the Koran over the little girl's head, and 
named her Saidette. Next began the feast of the 
women. The Naibs' wives and all the women of the 
seraglio sat down, and partook of mutton, rice, and 
various sweetmeats. The captives, of course, had no 
share in this feast, but they had the honour of receiving 
a visit from the Xaibs' wives, who regarded them 
with wonderful curiosity. 

The great holiday of the Bairam was now approaching, 
and Kazi-Machrnat, who on his first visit had remained 
a very short time at the seraglio, returned. This 
time the heir of the Iman of Daghestan stayed much 
longer at Yedenno, but unfortunately he came, as on the 

N 3 



182 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



previous occasion, without his wife, of whom the captives 
had heard a very favourable account. Kazi-Machmat 
was principally occupied in ridings and in teaching the 
youths of the aoul to fire or fence. Of course these 
exercises, which apparently constituted the reviews of 
Chechni, took place in the aoid, and not in the court- 
yard of the seraglio. 

During the whole period of Kazi-Machmat's stay in 
the seraglio, the Princesses could not admire Aminette 
enough. She was always gay, playful, and happy ; and it 
was not difficult to imagine the cause. She now saw the 
companion of her childhood every day. One morning 
she went to the rooms of Bahoo, where Kazi-Machmat 
was residing. She remained there a considerable time, 
and returned with some work, to which she applied 
herself with evident pleasure. It appeared that Kazi- 
Machmat had given her his yellow shoes and several 
other articles of dress to mend, 

Another time when Shamil was absent, Aminette came 
running to the Princesses with a suggestion that they 
should pay a secret visit to the Iman's private apartment. 
The captives accompanied her with fear and trembling ; 
but curiosity overcame every other feeling. In ShamiFs 
private room they saw some very rich carpets and a 
great number of books, Aminette also showed them some 
beautiful Georgian pistols mounted in silver, and pistol 
cases of cloth embroidered in silver and gold. There 
was nothing else very remarkable to be seen, Ami- 
nette took away one of the pistol-cases, and, when she 
returned with the captives to their room, took its pattern 
and shape, She then carried it back to Shamil's room, 



A MASSACRE IN THE SERAGLIO. 



183 



and afterwards set eagerly to work to embroider one like it. 
She was preparing a present for Kazi-Machmat ; but 
her amiability was not appreciated, and the beautiful 
cases were given by the young man to his brother. 

The feast of the Bairam had now arrived. A number 
of oxen and sheep were driven into the courtyard, 
and all the inhabitants of the seraglio assembled 
there in their best attire. At last Shamil appeared, 
approached the crowd with much solemnity, and killed 
one of the sheep with his own hand. This was the 
signal for a general massacre, in which all present took 
part with most remarkable zest. A sea of blood flowed 
along the great square of the seraglio, but it was soon 
swept away, and the courtyard rendered as clean as 
before. The meat was cut up, salted, and hung up 
in the top floor of ShamiPs house. Here Zaidette was 
in her own sphere. 

The feast took place in the outer courtyard. Meat was 
devoured in enormous quantities, but of course there 
was no wine, the drink consisting of a kind of mead 
and bousa* The captives also received several huge 
joints of meat, boiled, roast, and even raw, the last of 
which they had to cook for themselves, f 

On this festive day the male captives were invited 
also to a dinner. The peasants and militiamen dined 
in the courtyard; and the two Princes were served in the 

* A beverage made of milk. 

•j- In addition to the frugal repast provided by Zaidette, the captives 
usually purchased provisions, which they prepared themselves at their 
own fireplace. For a fowl the customary price was ten copeiks (four 
pence). 

K 4 



184 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



strangers' room, where there was a window looking out 
on to the court. 

One of the servants said to the Princesses, " Your 
Georgians are dining in the visitors' room. Upon this 
the Princesses hurried to the window their hearts 
throbbing fast lest Zaidette or Shamil should observe 
them. But this fear was overcome by their curiosity 
and the interest they took in their fellow-sufferers ; 
and the Princesses even went so far as to address them 
from their place of observation. 

" Are you alive, are you all alive ? " they inquired. 

" Yes ; and you too are living/' G-od be thanked, an- 
swered the delighted Princes. " We often hear of you, 
but we do not know whether what we hear be true." 

This terminated their conversation, which could not 
have been continued without great danger. Having 
wished each other all the happiness that was possible, 
the two parties did not exchange another word. 

When they had taken their seats again in the room, 
the Princesses began to speak of the change that 
had taken place in the appearance of Princes Chav- 
chavadzey and Vagnadzey. The former had become 
awfully thin, and the face of the latter was quite lost in a 
thick beard.f 

After the Bairam, Zaidette recommenced her system 

* When any of the Naibs, or other visitors, were Hying in the visitors' 
room, Zaidette and Shouanette used to go stealthily to one of the win- 
dows, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the strangers, and Aminette 
and Napicette now followed their example. 

t In Russia the peasants, and nearly all the merchants, wear beards ; 
but the rest of the population, including of course all who are in the 
military or civil service, shave, 



NINA THE UNCLEAN. 



185 



of persecution. For many clays she did her best to 
starve the captives, and she constantly annoyed them 
by her ill-natured remarks, while Shouanette and 
Aminette consoled them as usual with words of kind- 
ness and friendship. 

Aminette became particularly intimate with the Prin- 
cess BaratofT: and sometimes the two young girls were 
so merry 3 that for a time they made the captives forget 
their misfortunes. The Princess BaratofT was especially 
amusing with the tricks she played upon the simple- 
minded and superstitious Hadjio. 

He had taken a great fancy to her. and the Princess 
Nina profited by this to make him the subject of her 
practical jokes. Some how or other she ascertained that 
every good Murid must above all avoid the touch of an 
unclean, that is to say, of a Christian woman. If any such 
misfortune happened to him, he was obliged by the 
sacred law to perform his ablutions seven times, in order 
to get rid of its evil effect. Being fully aware of this, the 
Princess Nina, probably at the instigation of Aminette, 
obliged the unfortunate man to perform his sevenfold 
ablutions twenty times a day. At last Hadjio avoided 
the young Princess as if she had been fire, and went in a 
cautious and circuitous manner round every point where 
she was likely to make her appearance. He was more- 
over in a constant state of trepidation as long as he was 
in the same room with her. and was particularly amusing 
whenever she gave the least sign of approaching him. 

Xotwithstanding this, he made his appearance every 
day to inquire after the Princesses' health ; but he was 
sent for this purpose by ShamiL and his fear of disobey- 



186 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



ing his chief was even greater than that of being con- 
taminated by the touch of the Princess Nina Baratoff. 

Here it is impossible not to notice the difference 
between the present manners and customs of Shamir's 
household and those of ten or twelve years since. A 
remarkable improvement has taken place ; but how this 
improvement has been brought about, it is difficult to 
explain. It may perhaps be accounted for by some 
change in the disposition of Shamil himself, who is now 
getting advanced in years, or by the personal influence 
of such a woman as Shouanette ; in any case, he must be 
affected by his contact with civilisation, which gradually, 
though almost imperceptibly, is penetrating, in spite 
of all obstacles, into the mountain homes of these 
Mahometan tribes. But it is impossible not to be struck 
by the wonderful change which has taken place since 
1842, when Prince Orbeliani was in captivity with 
Shamil, and was infamously treated. At present the 
representative of barbarous tribes utters human sen- 
timents, and behaves with something like humanity. 
The people by whom he is surrounded give evidence 
of kindness, are not entirely crushed by despotism, 
and are not merely attached to him from fanaticism, 
but love him sincerely and devotedly as a man. 
Twelve years before, nothing of this kind existed in the 
Caucasus. 

If good influences can have any kind of effect on these 
tribes, hardened as they are by barbarism, then for the 
sake of humanity let us hope that these influences will 
be continued and strengthened. Probably the return of 



SHAMIL'S RUSSIAN SOX. 



187 



Shamil's son, so strangely and unexpectedly brought 
about, will have a highly beneficial effect on the moun- 
taineers. With his Eussian education, and his superior 
abilities as developed by civilised life, Djemmal Eddin 
cannot fail to produce a change in all who are brought 
into connection with him. 



188 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. V. 

During- the latter portion of their residence at Dargi- 
Vedenno the Princesses suffered a great deal of annoy- 
ance from their servants, to whom they had sacrificed 
so much of their own comfort. These women often forgot 
themselves so far as to utter loud complaints, and to 
accompany them with rude remarks to the Princesses, 
while, by their unguarded conversation, they constantly 
interfered with the negotiations for the liberation of the 
whole party. 

On one occasion, for instance, when a second of the 
captives felt that she was near the period of her confine- 
ment, this woman determined to make an attempt to 
regain her native land. She invented an ingenious 
excuse, well calculated to have an effect upon the ava- 
ricious Zaidette, saying that she was always very dan- 
gerously ill on these occasions, and that this time she 
felt convinced she should not recover — that her only wish 
was to die in her native land, and that Shamil had 
nothing to gain by forcing her to expire in his seraglio. 
In addition to this, she called attention to the fact that 
her son, a boy of six, would remain with Shamil as her 
hostage. Zaidette was led away by these representations, 
promised to use her influence with Shamil, and the next 
day seriously announced that the woman's ransom had 



INGENIOUS PROJECT. 



189 



been fixed at a thousand roubles * 3 and that if she had 
any chance of collecting that sum she could return to 
her native land. The servant was almost wild with joy, 
and seemed to fancy that nothing would be easier than 
to collect the thousand roubles and redeem her son, w T ho 
was to remain at Dargi-Vedenno until the amount was 
paid. 

Unfortunately, she did not know how to count, and 
the Princesses endeavoured in vain to convince her that 
a woman in her position would have some trouble in 
procuring so large a sum, and that her husband un- 
assisted would not even be able to pay a hundred 
roubles. But the foolish woman would listen to nothing. 
She thought the Princesses' remonstrances proceeded 
from an unwillingness to see her released, and at last 
said to the Princess Chavchavadzey, — 

" I did not expect this from you, Princess. Of what 
use am I to you ? " she added, in a tone of despair. 

" God help you I" answered the Princess, " we do not 
wish to keep you here ; we only wish you not to deceive 
yourself. Now, where can you possibly get a thousand 
roubles ? " 

" Will not Nina Alexandrovna f help me ? " inquired 
the servant. 

"Xina Alexandrovna will probably give up all she 
possesses ; but it will be for all of us together, and not 
for you alone." 

" Well, then, the Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna ? J 
All Mingrelia belongs to her." 

* About 166 pounds. 

f The widow of Gribaiedoff, and sister of Prince Chavchavadzey. 
X Another of Prince Chavchavadzey's sisters. 



190 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



The Princesses did not know what to do to quiet this 
senseless woman. Shamil's interpreters were listening 
and recording every word she said ; and it was feared 
that her indiscreet remarks would have the effect of 
making Shamil reject any reasonable sum that might 
be offered as a ransom. These fears were in fact realised. 
Shamil's spies discovered that the Princess of Mingrelia 
was a relation of the captives ; and this was made a pre- 
text for persisting in the demand of five millions, which 
was now again mentioned in the seraglio as the smallest 
ransom that could be accepted. 

Soon afterwards, to the great grief of all the servants, 
but this time to the great satisfaction of the Princesses, 
the complaints of the woman just mentioned and of the 
wounded nurse (for whom the rest of the captives had 
inconvenienced themselves considerably during their 
journey through the mountains) caused Shamil to in- 
terfere. The orders which the Iman had issued once 
before were now fulfilled to the letter; and all the 
servants were removed from the seraglio into the aoul, 
with the exception of the two wet nurses, George Orbe- 
liani's nurse, and the little Georgian girl. 

The Princesses had now plenty of space and plenty of 
air in their apartment, which previously had been 
crowded to excess and uncomfortable in every respect. 
They were no longer threatened by disagreeable and 
even dangerous scenes with their own attendants, but they 
were rendered very anxious upon another point. Thej~ 
imagined that their servants must now be subjected to 
all kinds of privations and ill treatment, and inquired 
after them so constantly that at last they were allowed 



A VISIT TO THE AOUL, 



191 



to receive visits from them. Once, too, Shouanette ob- 
tained permission for the Princesses to go out into the 
aoul, in order to see how they lived, and to judge for 
themselves whether they were ill treated or not. Just 
before this permission was granted, Daniel-Sultan, who 
had been an intimate friend of Prince Chavehavadzey's 
father, arrived ; and the captives suspected that a desire 
expressed by him to see them, had also a considerable 
effect in procuring them this excursion. 

The Princesses and their children left the seraglio 
accompanied by ShannTs daughter and all the female 
servants of the seraglio, and at the gate of the outer 
court were surrounded by armed men with sabres drawn. 
This precaution, however, was not directed against the 
captives, but against the populace, who might have in- 
sulted them as they passed through the aoul. 

During the walk the Princesses did not see much, 
as their faces were covered, and twilight was coming on. 
They could only observe that there was a great move- 
ment in the crowded streets, and noticed in particular 
one dark little hut with an awning, which, they were 
informed, contained the militiamen and the two Princes. 

The Princesses found their servants in as comfortable 
a position as could be expected. Having satisfied 
themselves on that point, they did not remain long, 
as the open air and the exercise, to both of which they 
were now quite unaccustomed, had made them very 
tired, and they were anxious to get " home *' and take a 
little rest. The walk had altogether occupied half an 
hour. 

Soon after this excursion there was great excitement 



192 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS, 



in the seraglio. Shamil was preparing to go out on a 
campaign ; but before he started, Kazi-Machniat was to 
set off at the head of a separate detachment. Ac- 
cordingly, in the midst of all the bustle, Aminette was 
busier than any one, and was employed night and day 
cutting out and sewing portions of the young man's uni- 
form. At last the hour of the departure arrived. Kazi- 
Machmat rode out of the seraglio in a white papach * 
and a white cloak bearing an ornamental design in 
saffron or some other yellow dye. In the outer courts 
shots of salutation were fired in his honour. A standard 
was unfurled by the side of the young commander, and 
the detachment set off chanting (: Lia-iI!iahi-il-Allah" 
At the same time all the women ran towards the parti- 
tion, to look through the crevices at the departing 
cavalcade. 

On the evening of that day, the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey went out to sit in the gallery. The other 
captives were not disposed to take the air, and remained 
in the room. Looking towards Aminette's room, the 
Princess was astonished to see some one hung down on 
the floor. Advancing towards the apartment, she dis- 
covered that this was Aminette herself, who appeared to 
be in a terrible state of dejection. 

i: ^Yhat are you thinking about so gravely ? " said the 
Princess to her sad little friend. 

i( I am waiting for my brother. It is dull. We are 
provided with everything, and yet there appears to be 
something wanting. Zaidette is very unkind. ..... 

Eeally I should like to go away from here.' 5 
* The Circassian cap, 



A RUSSIAK ATTACK, 



193 



" But has Kazi-Maehmat gone away for long ? 55 asked 
the Princess, guessing the true cause of Aminette's 
sorrow. 

K At first Shamil meant to go himself, but now he has 
sent him instead. They always do that/' continued 
Aminette^ lowering her eyebrows and pouting her pretty 
red lips. Then she endeavoured to change the conversa- 
tion in order to avoid mentioning the real origin of her 
grief. But her feelings constantly betrayed her : and in 
spite of herself she recurred perpetually to the one 
subject which occupied her thoughts. 

" The Russians are attacking us again/' recommenced 
Aminette.* 66 When and how will all this terminate ? " 
she continued. " Will all our people return ? * ? and so 
forth. 

The Princess tried in vain to give another direction 
to her thoughts. 

Two days afterwards a messenger arrived on horse- 
back from Kazi-Machmatj and Shamil himself began to 
get ready for the campaign. The two eldest wives were 
exceedingly busy. Zaidette was cool in the midst of 
the bustle ; but Shouanette could not conceal her despair 
at her husband's departure. 

" It seems as if our affairs were going badly indeed 
when they send for Shamil himself/' she said to the 
captives. 

* Aminette, by constantly talking with the Princesses, had at length 
learnt to speak the Georgian language fluently. 

f Major-General Baron Wrangel, assisted by Colonel, now Major- 
General Baklanotfj had just made a daring movement beyond the 
Argoun, near the heights of Goitekortsk (in September, 1854), 





194 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



At last Shamil was quite ready for his departure. A 
white horse with crimson caparisons was brought into 
the courtyard^ and the Iman appeared in a tunic of 
brown cloth lined with black fur. He wore coloured 
shoes and tightly fitting gaiters edged with narrow 
braid. He had neither gold nor silver on any part of 
his costume, and was too much an enemy of luxury to 
wear the slightest ornament. On his head he wore a 
white chalma* over his papach, the crown of which was 
red, with a small black tassel at the top. The ends of 
the chalma hung loose down his back. 

In this costume, and seated on his beautiful white 
horse, Shamil looked magnificent, and even imposing. 
All his family, his servants, and the children of the 
captives, accompanied him to the gates ; but as soon as 
he had passed through they were closed, and he was 
seen no more by the inhabitants of the seraglio. 

After Shamil's departure the first remarkable change 
in the life of the captives was a great deterioration in 
the quality, and a great diminution in the quantity of 
the food supplied to them. Sometimes for three or 
four days together the mean Zaidette would leave them 
the same meat and bread, and when at length she did 
send them a fresh supply, it was insufferably bad. In 
addition to this the cold weather was coming on, and 
there was a great draught through the little open 
window in their room, while to close it up would have 
been to bury themselves in utter darkness. 

* The papach is the Circassian cap, and the chalma is a kind of turban 
folded round the crown. 



ACCOMMODATION FOR THE WINTER. 



195 



It has already been said that in the windows of all 
the rooms in the seraglio, except Shamil's cabinet in 
the detached building, and the apartments of his wives, 
paper supplied the place of glass. Sheets of paper were 
now pasted into the window of the Princesses' room; but 
though this excluded the cold air, it made the room 
very dark. The children were constantly crying; and 
when they were taken outside into the snow, with 
nothing on their feet, they naturally caught cold and 
were laid up. This state of things continued for about 
a fortnight. The ill-constructed stove, it should be 
mentioned, gave out such a heat that neither the 
children nor the grown-up persons could bear it. In 
addition to all this, the Princess Orbeliani took cold 
and was for some time seriously ill. 

On one occasion Shouanette invited the Princess 
Chavchavadzey to drink tea with her. During the 
evening the Princess asked whether Shouanette had 
heard of Shamil, and whether there was any news of the 
movements of the army. 

" As yet nothing certain is known," replied Shou- 
anette. " I am uneasy about this campaign ; it lasts too 
long. They have already been gone two weeks. Shamil 
has sent for the steward to join him ; and Hadjio goes 
away to-morrow. It is very melancholy," she sighed, in 
conclusion. 

During this conversation Zaidette entered, sat down, 
and herself began to talk to the Princess; but now, 
none but unimportant subjects were discussed, though 
the cunning Tartar woman constantly brought forward 
her favourite topic. 

o 2 



196 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



" Weil ; how do your affairs go on ? " she inquired of 
the Princess (though she knew how they were going on 
much better than the captives themselves). "What do 
you reckon upon now ? Will your government help 
you?" 

" A ransom from the government is out of the ques- 
tion; with us every man must take care of his own 
family. We have suffered from our own carelessness, 
and must bear the penalty ourselves/' answered the 
Princess with caution. 

" Shamil says the government ought to reward your 
husband for his brave defence of Shildy," urged Zai- 
dette (whose remarks were translated by Shouanette). 

" There is a proverb in Russian/ 5 said the Princess, 
" to the effect that 6 God is high, and the Emperor far 
away ; ' and, moreover, there are numerous examples in 
our army of such bravery as my husband displayed at 
Shildy. With us the cowards only are remarked. It is 
impossible to distinguish the brave ; for all are brave." 

Shouanette interrupted this conversation when she 
saw how disagreeable it was becoming to the Princess. 

" Come, tell us something about your husband," she 
said. " What sort of a disposition has he ? and what 
kind of life did you lead at home ? " 

The Princess related all that she considered would be 
intelligible to these women of the mountains, spoke of 
her lost happiness, of the harmony in which her family 
lived, and altogether did her best to interest them. 
With regard to her fortune, she expressed herself as 
follows : — 

" Our fortune consisted in land, and on its produce 



HADJIO's DEPARTURE. 



197 



we lived. We received a great many visitors, and were 
considered rich, but never had much money." 

The Princess spoke in this manner because she was 
aware that they were ignorant of the great value of 
land, and did not suspect for an instant that it could be 
converted into money. 

The Princess's words were listened to with much at- 
tention ; at last Shouanette sighed and said, — 

" I cannot understand what men want ? Why do 
they go to war when they might remain peaceably at 
home with their own families ? " 

The Princess does not remember how this conversa- 
tion terminated. 

Towards night the steward Hadjio, as he made his 
usual round with a lantern, calling at the same time 
upon all the inmates to answer to their names, entered 
the Princesses' apartment. He informed them that he 
was going to join Shamil, he knew not for how long, 
and that when the campaign was over, Shamil intended 
to visit all the aouls to teach the inhabitants the 
Shariat.* 

The captives said that for their part they should be 
very glad when Shamil returned, for that the last emis- 
saries from Hassaff-Yourt, after asking him in vain 
for an answer to their proposition, were now remaining 
idle at Dargi-Vedenno. 

Hadjio promised to mention this to the Iman as soon 
as he saw him. 

The messengers from Hassaff-Yourt had brought 

* The Shariat and Adat are the sacred books of the Caucasus. The 
latter contains precepts and laws ; while the former treats of doctrines. 

O 3 



198 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



presents to Shamil's wives, and to his father-in-law the 
venerable Djemmal-Eddin. The wives' presents con- 
sisted of pieces of satin for dresses ; the old man received 
a magnificent rosary and some muslin for a chalma, of 
a much finer fabric than can be procured in Chechni. 

In the first instance these presents were all forwarded 
to the Princesses, who afterwards invited ShamiPs wives 
to their apartment and entrusted the gifts to them. 
Zaidette was exceedingly pleased, but lost no time in 
remarking that the third piece, which was intended for 
Aminette, was too good for her, and that she should not 
have it. She added at the same time that she was not 
really his wife, and so forth. 

In consequence of Zaidette's objection, it was proposed 
that the third piece of satin should be divided among 
ShamiPs daughters. But as nothing decisive could be 
done during the Iman's absence, the three pieces were 
carried into his room, to remain there until his re- 
turn. Aminette was seriously offended, and was so 
angry that for two days the captives saw nothing of 
her. When she visited them again, she did nothing 
but utter complaints (for which there was certainly some 
foundation) of the hardness of her fate, and the in- 
justice of the eldest wives. 

" I will go away," she said. 66 1 will not continue to 
live here. They have all dresses and fine things; I 
alone have nothing." 

" But you should ask Shamil, when he returns, to in- 
terfere. He will surely not refuse to see that justice is 
done you," remarked the Princesses. 

"Ask? No, I could not do that." 



MACHMAT-SHABI IN MISCHIEF. 



199 



The useless pride on the part of the wild young girl 
amused the Princesses ; but it showed such a noble dis- 
position, and she looked so beautiful all the time, that 
the captives could not help loving her all the more* 
Besides, she was almost as much a captive in ShamiPs 
seraglio as they themselves. 

Nothing remarkable took place before Shamil's return, 
except that, during his absence, there was general dis- 
order throughout the seraglio, giving evident signs that 
the ruling power was away. This was the explanation 
of Zaidette's ill treatment of Aminette, and it will also 
account for the mischievous conduct in which Machmat- 
Shabi indulged during the same period. Having 
nothing to do throughout the day, he devoted himself to 
all kinds of tricks for the annoyance of the other resi- 
dents in the seraglio. Thus, he broke the lock on the 
door of his grandmother's room, smashed the glass of 
the window, and at other times lighted pieces of wood 
and threw them into the courtyard, by which means he 
once very nearly set the seraglio on fire. No one had 
the least power over the mischievous boy ; his father 
alone could govern him, and Shamil was absent. 

In the meantime Oscar, one of Prince David's 
servants, arrived in Dargi-Vedenno with letters — the 
same faithful Oscar who, during the critical period of 
the engagement at Shildy, had not left his master's side 
for a single moment. But he was not allowed to see the 
Princesses, nor were his letters given to them. All he 
could do was to wait for Shamil's return. 

However, some of the female captives in the aoul 
were so imprudent as to go out to see him. Zaidette 

o 4 



200 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS. 



discovered this, and as a punishment put a stop to their 
visiting the Princesses. 

At last Shamil returned, but neither joyfully nor with 
the least ceremony. His dull, irritable humour told 
every one in the seraglio that his campaign had not been 
successful ; and his state of mind soon had a direct effect 
upon the captives. In the first place they were not 
allowed to see Oscar ; and afterwards they were informed, 
on the part of Shamil, that, as the Iman had not obtained 
a satisfactory answer from their relatives, all corre- 
spondence between them and the captives must cease 
until some positive information was received with re- 
spect to the return of his son. 

The next day Indris came to the Princesses and asked 
them whether there was no one to whom they could 
address a petition for the fulfilment of ShamiFs conditions 
besides their relatives, as the latter had already declined 
to make the necessary efforts. The Princesses ^replied 
that they had no one but their relatives to interest them- 
selves about them. The enraged Indris then said to 
them, with undisguised satisfaction, — 

"You don't wish to take any trouble about the 
matter ? Well, then, don't complain if they treat you 
badly." 

" It is useless to threaten us," said the Princesses. " We 
cannot do anything ourselves while we are remaining 
here ; and if the Chechnians do not understand that, how 
is it that you, who were formerly a Eussian soldier, can 
so far have forgotten the Eussian laws as to think that 
it is in our power to act contrary to the will and orders 
of the Emperor ? " 



THE RUSSIAN DESERTER. 



201 



Indris was offended at this inquiry. 

" I am not a Eussian, I am a mountaineer/ 5 he replied. 
" Shamil only sent me to Eussia to learn as much as 
possible. 5 ' 

" You may tell that to our servants ; but we cannot 
believe anything so absurd." 

Indris made no answer. At last he said to the 
captives, — 

" Well, then, write to any one you like." 

The Princesses wrote to Prince David, to Lieu- 
tenant-General Prince Orbeliani, and to the Flugel- 
adjutant Colonel Baron Nicolai. Indris took the 
letters to Shamil, but returned a few minutes after he 
had received them, and said, — 

" They will not do ; write others." 

The Princess Chavchavadzey took the rejected com- 
munications, threw them into the fire, and said, 
angrily,— 

" Very well, I shall not write any more." 

Then the Princess Orbeliani took up the pen and 
began a fresh letter; but this was also returned by 
Shamil with a command to write in a different style. 

Just then Hassan and Mohammed, the emissaries 
from Hassaff-Yourt, entered the room. They sat down, 
on the ground and began as follows. 

" I have come here a number of times," said Hassan ; 
66 but our business does not advance in the least." 

" I am an invalid," added Mohammed. " I have a 
great deal of difficulty in getting to Vedenno, and I meet 
with no success. They are dissatisfied with me here, and 
at Hassaff-Yourt also, and all because jour relatives act 



202 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



with so little energy. But if they can do nothing, 
can you not do something on your own account ? " 

This speech of Mohammed's was so adverse to the 
interests of the Princesses, that they at once determined 
it must have been dictated by Shamil. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey said in reply, — 

ec You, who have been chosen by Baron Nicolai to act 
for us, know the position of affairs far better than we 
can do ; why then do you address questions to us ? " 

Mohammed answered with perfect calmness,— 

"You will do no good by getting angry; you had 
better think of something more useful." 

" I repeat that our relatives are doing their best, and 
certainly will give for our ransom all they can collect. 
Accordingly, we have nothing to write to them as far 
as that matter is concerned." 

To this the hypocritical Tartars answered, — 

" As you like, write or don't write, it makes no dif- 
ference ; only remember that no more intercourse or 
communication will pass between you and your relatives, 
and that this is the last time you will see us." 

" So much the better," said the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey ; " the less we hear from you, the less uneasy 
we are made." 

Mohammed and Hassan rose and departed. 

In the meantime the Princess Orbeliani had prepared 
a third and corrected edition of the letters to the 
Princess and Baron Nicolai. 

Indris, however, brought them back a third time, and 
now said explicitly,— 

" You must write to the Empress." 



THE RUSSIAN DESERTER. 



203 



" We dare not, we have no right to do so." 

u Now I will convict you of trifling with Shamil," ex- 
claimed Indris, joyfully. " You promised to act openly 
with him, and to obey his orders ; and now you have 
both deceived and disobeyed him. You will only have 
yourselves to thank if you are punished for it." 

" How have we deceived Shamil ? " asked the captives. 

u In this way. You pretend you have no right to 
address the Empress, whereas in Tsenondahl we found 
your badges, which show that you were the Empress's 
ladies of honour, and we know that the ladies of 
honour can always communicate directly with the 
Sovereign." 

" But we do not know where the Empress is. She 
often goes to warm climates, and is probably not in St. 
Petersburgh," answered the Princesses. They then 
endeavoured to explain to him that they could not and 
dared not apply to the Empress. 

Indris at last seemed to be convinced, and said, — 

" If you do not like to apply to the Empress, then 
write to Prince VorontsofF." 

The Princess did not know how to avoid this sugges- 
tion, put as it was, in the form of an ultimatum, and 
finally consented to write a letter, at the dictation of 
this renegade Kussian soldier, to the former Gover- 
nor of the Caucasus, Prince VorontsofF. The captives 
blushed when they read what they had written ; so 
low and humiliating were the words which had been 
dictated to them. But they had no choice in the matter, 
and could only submit to what was peremptorily forced 
upon them. 



204 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



Indris returned again with the letter, but only to 
say that this time the communication had met with 
Shamil's approval. He then left the letter in the 
Princess's room. As he went away Indris was suddenly 
seized with a desire to terrify the prisoners in the aonl, 
and with this view he entered the hut where the 
Princesses' servants were confined, and said to them, — 

"Do you know that your mistresses have rebelled 
against Shamil, and that he has ordered them to be 
beheaded ? " One of them, Varvara, on hearing these 
words fell senseless to the ground, and remained in 
that state for several hours. 

Soon after this, Zaidette, Shouanette, Hadji-Eebil, 
and a number of the servants of the seraglio came to 
the Princesses' apartments. 

"I am astonished!" began Zaidette, "that you, a 
prisoner — and with whom? with Shamil! — so obsti- 
nately refuse to do as you are ordered. How is it you 
do not fear him ? " 

The Princess replied that she feared no one but Grod, 
— an answer which called forth a torrent of abuse. 

" What unheard-of impudence ! " screamed Zaidette. 

" The Iman is a saint ! " screamed still more loudly 
Hadji-Eebil. "Who dares to disobey his holy com- 
mands ? " 

" He may be holy," said the Princess, unable to con- 
tain herself ; "but he cannot give me back my lost child." 

A frightful disturbance now took place ; but the 
Princesses addressing Shouanette, who had been a silent 
spectator of all that had taken place, said to her, — 

" Tell that woman to go away from here." 



AN INTERVIEW WITH OSCAR. 



205 



Shouanette led Hadji-Rebil out of the room, and on 
her return advised the Princesses to be calmer and 
more guarded in their remarks. 

" But why do they accuse us of contumacy when we 
do exactly as we are ordered? They required us to 
write certain letters, and we wrote them/ said the 
Princess Orbeliani. 

Shouanette took the letter which had been left with 
the captives by Indris, and gave it herself to Shamil, in 
consequence of which they were allowed on the follow- 
ing day to see Oscar. 

The interview took place in a very strange manner. 
The captives* were taken towards the entrance and sta- 
tioned at a short distance from it. When the gates were 
opened, they saw Oscar standing a few steps on the 
other side, and surrounded by Murids with their car- 
bines pointed at him. 

The Princesses could not understand the meaning of 
these precautions, and said to Oscar,— 

Probably you have said or done something you ought 
not, as you are surrounded this way by guards. 

"I have neither said nor done any thing of the kind," 
answered Oscar, who was a young man about nineteen 
or twenty, of Tartar origin, but brought up in Prince 
Chavchavadzey's family, where he had been in service 
since his childhood. 

It was evident from Oscar's tone that he was offended 
at the conduct of the mountaineers. The Princesses 
asked him about their relatives, and inquired how the 
negotiations were getting on. 

Oscar informed them that Prince Chavchavadzey had 



206 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



long since written about Shamil's son, but that he did 
not expect a decisive answer before a month. Oscar 
did his best to encourage and console the Princesses, 
who were much pleased by the straightforward argu- 
ments of their servant, proving, as they did, that he 
was not in the least daunted by the menaces of the 
Murids who were surrounding him. 

It is worthy of remark that Oscar at first was unable 
to recognise the Princesses, so thin and pale had they 
become, both from physical exhaustion and from grief, 



shamil's family troubles. 



207 



CHAP. VL 

Now that Shamil had returned from his campaign* 
neither the mischievous conduct of Machmat-Shabi, nor 
the affair of the piece of silk in which Aminette had 
been so much injured, remained without their conse- 
quences. Machmat-Shabi was placed under arrest in 
the room next the captives (the children of the Iman 
cannot be subjected to corporal punishment); and in 
the matter of the silk dresses it was decided that Aminette 
had been treated with injustice, and that the three 
pieces should for the present remain at Shamil's disposal 
in his own cabinet. Zaidette endeavoured to exculpate 
herself in the Iman's eyes by pretending that, as he 
objected to see his wives luxuriously dressed, she had 
considered it best to reserve the piece of silk for his 
daughters. Soon afterwards the Princess saw the rosary 
which had been sent to Djemmal-Eddin on Zaidette's 
arm. The honest old man did not wish to accept the 
present until he had done something to facilitate the 
release of the Princesses, and in the meanwhile en- 
trusted the rosary to Shamil. But Zaidette took pos- 
session of it, pretending to her father that it had been 
given to her by Shamil, and to Shamil that it had been 
given to her by her father. 



208 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Soon after Sharnil's return the corpse of one of his 
Naibs was brought to Vedenno. He had been killed in 
a recent battle with the Eussians ; and in exchange for 
his body one of the captives from Kahetia was set at 
liberty. This affair had been managed by the Princess 
Chavchavadzey, who at the request of Shamil wrote a 
special letter on the subject to Baron Nicolai. The 
Naib was buried at Vedenno, and was honoured with a 
grand funeral, at which Shamil was present. 

Shamil, much pleased at the effect of the Princess's 
very natural application, proposed that she should have an 
interview with her husband. The Princess was informed 
that Prince David would be allowed to come to Dargi- 
Vedenno, and return freely to Hassaff-Yourt. But she 
declined the proposal, though it was made and even 
pressed upon her on several occasions, through the in- 
terpreters, through Hadjio, through Zaidette, and 
through Shouanette. At one time Shouanette said to 
the Princesses^— 

" It is a pity you refuse this offer. Shamil sees that 
you are sad, and wishes to comfort you." 

"I know/' answered the Princess, "that a strange 
man is not allowed to enter the seraglio; and to see my 
husband as Aminette sees her brother, through the 
crevice of the partition, is not what I should wish." 

" Oh, they will arrange matters differently for you," 
persisted Shouanette. " They will take your husband 
into Sharnil's cabinet." 

But the Princess positively declined the offer. She 
did not wish to encounter the pain of a fresh separation, 



A MYSTERIOUS YISITOE. 



209 



and was moreover afraid her husband might be detained 
in captivity. 

Nevertheless, a similar proposal was made to Prince 
David, through Hassan ; but he refused it, saying 
" that he would accept permission to go to Vedenno 
if he thought affairs could be terminated at once, and 
that he could return with his wife, his sister, and his 
children; but that, as this was out of the question, 
he had no wish for an interview which must end with a 
distressing separation." 

After the Princess's conversation on the subject with 
Shouanette, the proposition of an interview was not re- 
newed. 

Several days passed, until, one afternoon when the cap- 
tives were at dinner, Hadjio entered and informed them 
that some " unknown person " had arrived at Yedenno, 
and was asking to see them. The Princesses, instead of 
being pleased, were only disturbed by the news of this 
arrival. They imagined it must be Prince David, who 
had accepted Shamil's invitation; and it was with 
much alarm that they proceeded to the gates, where the 
people of the seraglio were drawn up in a line waiting 
for them to be opened. They were at last thrown back; 
and the captives beheld some person, who was indeed 
unknown to them, with his face enveloped in black. 
The captives and the mysterious visitor looked at one 
another silently ; and the gates closed. Similar scenes 
occurred several times afterwards; and the Princesses 
could never ascertain their meaning or who the persons 
were to whom they were exhibited in so strange a manner. 
It is supposed, however, that they were the deputies of the 

p 



210 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



people, who wished to be assured that the captives were 
still safe, and with them the large ransom which they 
represented, and on which the people in general had a 
claim. 

The following day was full of incidents of a more or 
less interesting character. 

In the first place Machmat-Shabi, as a punishment for 
some fresh piece of mischief, was sent away to pursue 
his studies in a distant province. 

Then, by order of Shamil, and in consequence of the 
extreme coldness of the weather, the window in the 
prisoners' room was fitted up with glass. 

Speaking generally, it is impossible to deny that 
Shamil took great care of his captives ; and this was 
especially shown in the attention he paid to their accom- 
modation now that the winter was becoming severe. 
After the glass had been put into the window, he ordered 
the fireplace to be rebuilt, and, when the work had been 
finished, inspected it himself, to see that it had been 
executed according to his orders. Before he entered the 
apartment, the Princesses w T ere taken out into another 
room, in order that they might not meet the holy man 
(upon whose face the Christian women were not worthy 
to look). In examining the fireplace, Shamil found a 
saucepan full of water with a few onions floating in it, 
and was surprised to find what a miserable dinner was 
being prepared for them. He flew into a violent passion, 
called for Zaidette, reproached her with her meanness, 
and went away much displeased. Half an hour after- 
wards Shouanette came in with tea, butter, rice, and 
all that could be got ready for them in so short a time. 



THE TICEROTALTT OF GEORGIA. 



211 



Shouanette told them that Shamil had reproached 
Zaidette most energetically, and that he had said to her, 
" How dare you act in a manner contrary to my wishes, 
and disobey my express orders ? " 

But about this time an incident of a far more inte- 
resting nature occupied the captives* The Princesses 
observed an unusual state of excitement in the seraglio. 
The women were running to and fro ; the steward was 
walking up and down the courtyard and communicating 
to every one he met some piece of intelligence which 
appeared to be of a most gratifying nature. A little 
while afterwards the report of firearms was heard in 
the outer court, and Shamil himself rode out in great 
state from the gates. 

The captives ascertained that all this joy was caused 
by the arrival of an envoy from the Sultan, who brought 
the news that his sovereign had overcome the Eussians, 
and that the Turkish army had conquered fifty govern- 
ments from the Czar. The Sultan's ambassador at the 
same time announced that he was empowered to offer to 
Shamil the title of u Viceroy of Georgia," on condition 
that the latter would assist him in his war against the 
infidels. 

The Princesses of course knew how to regard these 
absurd statements, but they were careful not to express 
any opinion about them, and when the news was com- 
municated to them they simply replied, — 

" So much the worse for us ; it may interfere with 
our liberation." 

Soon afterwards Shamil received better news still. A 
mountaineer, probably one of ShamiFs spies, came to 

P 2 



212 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Vedenno with the intelligence that his son, Djemmal- 
Eddin, had decided to return to the Caucasus. Shamil 
rewarded the news-bearer most liberally, though he at 
. the same time did not quite believe his statement. 
Wishing to obtain some confirmation of its truth, 
he called Shah- Abbas to him and consulted him 
about it* 

The wily Armenian, understanding that the father's 
heart wished for consolation as a child wishes for a toy, 
replied that there could be no doubt about his son's 
return, and that he, Shah-Abbas, was ready to answer 
for it with his head. 

Shamil upon this presented Shah- Abbas with a mag- 
nificent horse. 

A great commotion now again took place inside the 
seraglio, but it was soon put an end to by preparations 
for the departure of Shamil, who was going out on a 
fresh campaign. 

The departure took place in the same style as on a 
previous occasion ; but the scene of action* was much 
nearer, and was in fact close to Vedenno, for in the 
evening the sound of cannon was heard in the seraglio. 
It may be imagined what a sensation was created ! 
Shouanette was more agitated than any one. She 
prayed, refused to eat, and altogether suffered very 
much. It was said that Shamil had given orders, in 
case of his defeat and the advance of the Eussians, to 
remove his wives, his children, and the captives. Upon 
this occasion Zaidette said to the captives, — 

* This was the affair at Isti-Sou, at which Baron Nicolai com- 
manded, when Shamil lost upwards of four hundred men. 



AN EARTHQUAKE. 



213 



" Don't flatter yourselves with the hope that the 
Russians will come here and release you ; for the first 
thing we should do would be to cut all your throats." 

The Princesses did not doubt for one moment the 
sincerity of this promise, but coolly answered, — 

"We have been prepared for that from the first 
moment of our captivity, and we would much rather 
die than remain here for ever." 

The excitement in the seraglio continued for some 
time, and it was increased by an earthquake which 
occurred about the same period. The shocks were so 
violent and so continuous that the seraglio certainly 
could not have withstood them if it had been loftier, or 
built of stone instead of wood. 

When the danger was over, Zaidette asked the captives 
whether they ever had earthquakes at home. They re- 
plied that they had, but that they were less violent. 

" And with us they are also less violent generally," 
rejoined Zaidette; "and what the present one is to be 
attributed to we are at a loss to imagine. Surely it is 
(rod's anger!" continued the superstitious Tartar woman. 

" For your treatment to us," thought the Princesses, 
who however took care not to express what was 
passing in their minds. 

Shamil sent occasionally to inquire how his daughter 
Najabat and the Princess Chavchavadzey's little boy 
were getting on ; and the Princess was informed by the 
messenger that her husband was in the field in command 
of a detachment of " white Cossacks." But she did not 
believe this, as she knew the Prince had no separate 
command; and from the description of the person at the 

p 3 



214 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



head of the " white Cossacks/' she recognised Colonel Ed- 
linsky, commanding the Cossack regiment of Mosdok. 

Shamil was absent nearly two months. At last he 
came back, but at night, without any formal reception, 
without salutes, and even without any attendants 
except Selim. In the seraglio too all was quiet ; in fact 
there were no manifestations of joy of any kind at his 
return. This caused them to suspect that the Iman 
had been either wounded or defeated by the Russians. 
This last supposition proved correct. Selim related to 
the captives how Shamil and himself had had to ride 
for their lives, and had only succeeded in escaping by 
separating themselves from the ordinary escort. On 
one occasion, near the Russian frontier, Shamil had 
turned to him and said, — 

"I have long thought you would not be sorry to 
desert to the Russians, if you only had the opportunity. 
Now you can do so if you like. You can leave me 
and run away without the least fear of being fol- 
lowed." 

But Selim, who did not wish to leave his children, 
preferred to remain with Shamil, though it will be 
seen that he afterwards forsook him, in order to follow 
one of the prisoners, of whom he had become desperately 
enamoured. 

Soon after Shamil, arrived Kazi-Machmat, who was 
received with the usual honours. The captives ob- 
served that he was lame ; but it was explained to them 
that this was caused by the opening of an old wound, 
and not by a new one. 

Shamil had returned from his campaign on the 23rd 



A1TIXETTE ASSEETS HERSELF. 215 

• 

of December, two days before Christmas day, when he 
found Grramoff the interpreter waiting for him. 

Grramoff was attached to Prince Gregory Orbeliani, 
and had been intrusted with the direction of the 
negotiations for the liberation of the captives. The 
Princesses did not see him, but they received several 
presents which he had brought to them from their 
relatives. 

A wounded corporal who had been brought in was 
placed in the visitors' room, and remained there a con- 
siderable time together with Kazi-Machmat. 

In the meanwhile the life of the captives had become 
more and more dull, owing to the general depression 
which had been caused throughout the seraglio by the dis- 
comfiture of ShamiPs forces, and by the setting in of the 
cold weather, which was now felt most severely. Shaniil's 
wives now visited them but rarely, with the exception 
of Aminette, whose innocence and naivete interested 
them much. She had already quarrelled once with 
Zaidette since Shamil's return, and told the captives 
that she was very glad Shamil had taken the presents, 
as now they would be given to no one. On another 
occasion she informed them that she had complained of 
Zaidette to Kazi-Machmat, and had threatened to run 
away from the seraglio with her brother, unless Shamil 
interfered on her behalf, and prevented the humiliation 
to which she was subjected by his eldest wife. From 
that time, she said, Shamil had behaved more amiably 
towards her, and had even said that, if she wished to 
return to her native land, he would not detain her. 
Aminette rejoiced at her success ; but she was unaware 

P 4 



216 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



at the time that her brother was never to visit her 
again, and that Shamil had issued positive orders to 
that effect. It was thus the irritability and innocence 
of Aminette were taken advantage of. Nevertheless she 
was sometimes able to pay her persecutors in their own 
coin. The following may serve as a specimen of her 
behaviour towards Shamil himself. 

One evening, when it was late, the Princesses went out 
into the gallery of their room in order to enjoy the pure 
air of the moonlit winter night. Aminette went with 
them, when suddenly Shamil appeared. He was dressed 
in a white shouba, and he was going from his own room 
to Aminette's. Perceiving this, and without saying a 
word, the young girl concealed herself beneath the 
bench on which the captives were sitting. At last Shamil 
returned from her apartment, and walked up and down 
the gallery, as if waiting for her to come out of some of 
the other rooms ; but as she did not appear he locked 
the door, took out the key, and concealed himself be- 
hind one of the corners of his residence. 

Thus, for a considerable time, the illustrious saint, 
the powerful Iman of Chechni and Daghestan, waited 
freezing in the cold, like an ardent and not particularly 
saintlike young man, for the sake of a love-meeting 
with a girl of seventeen. At last the severity of the 
night, and the evident inutility of waiting any longer, 
made him return to his own apartments. 

During the whole of this scene the position of the cap- 
tives was most perilous. It can be imagined how dearly 
they would have had to pay for having helped to conceal 
the wife of the Iman, more especially as they had been the 



AMINETTE ENSUKGENT. 



217 



involuntary witnesses of his amusing nocturnal adventure. 
But fortunately their presence in the gallery was not 
observed ; and after she had been a few minutes behind 
the bench; Aminette slipped away, saying, as she left, — 

" Ah ! he has begun to watch me ! This is all through 
Zaidette and her stories. Well, let him believe her !" 

She then went to Napicette's room, and passed the 
night there. 

The Princesses were afraid that Aminette would find 
herself in disgrace; but the next day Kazi-Machmat 
produced a reconciliation between his father and the 
independent young wife. 

A few days after the occurrence of this scene a fire 
broke out in the Princesses' room. One of the beams 
adjoining the chimney burst into flames; the apartment 
was soon full of smoke, and the captives had to seek 
safety in the gallery. Much excitement was caused 
throughout the seraglio ; and the cook who was in the 
habit of preparing the prisoners' meals ran outside to 
call for assistance. Selim soon made his appearance 
with an axe, and, by cutting away the burning embers, 
put a stop to all possibility of the conflagration spread- 
ing. The Princesses expected to hear some complaints 
on the subject of this accident ; but Shamil has wood in 
abundance, and it was probably owing to that fact that 
the mishap called forth no severe comments. 

The captives had been for some time without news from 
home, when one morning a letter was brought to them 
from Prince Gregory Orbeliani. This letter informed 
them that their relatives had written to St. Petersburgh 
in reference to Shamil's son, and his proposed return 



218 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



to the mountain s, and that affairs were beginning to look 
promising. In reply, the Princesses were only allowed 
to write that they were alive and well. 

From this time Shamil was constantly receiving news 
from one person or another on the subject of his son's 
return. He was certainly well served by his spies ; and 
it was astonishing how correct all the information they 
brought to him afterwards proved to be. 

At last a mountaineer arrived at Dargi-Vedenno 
stating that Djemmal-Eddin had reached Stavropol. 

This intelligence was received in the most enthusiastic 
manner, with much firing, shouting, and embracing : but 
the Princesses, to whom the news was quite as agreeable 
as to the mountaineers, could scarcely believe it until it 
was confirmed by Mohammed and Hassan, who arrived 
soon afterwards from Hassaf-Yourt. Mohammed at the 
same time assured them that several of Shamil's emis- 
saries had actually seen him at Stavropol. Shouanette 
came in the most impetuous manner to congratulate the 
prisoners, upon which Zaidette, who followed her, re- 
marked, — 

" It is very strange you should run to them with so 
much delight. What is there to be so pleased about ? 
Has Shamil only one son?" 

Zaidette was prompted to utter these observations by 
a desire to conceal from the captives the high value 
which was set upon Djemmal-Eddin in the seraglio. 
She was at the same time annoyed that every one seemed 
to overlook the claims of her crooked little daughter, 
who appeared to be the only person in the world for 
whom she entertained any real affection. 



shouanette's reminiscences. 



219 



CHAP. VII. 

Isaac GtKAMOFF arrived at Vedenno at about the same 
time as Shamil when he returned from his second 
campaign. The captives had calculated their time day 
by day, from the 4th of July, and on Christmas day 
they remember that two of the children were taken out 
to visit Grramoff, who was staying in the house of Hadjio 
the steward. Gramoff, who did not see the Princesses 
during his stay at Vedenno, went away bearing instruc- 
tions from Shamil, to the effect that no one was to visit 
them again until the arrival of Djemmal-Eddin at 
Hassaff-Yourt. 

Shouanette, now that Shamil had returned, began to 
visit the captives frequently as before. She was very 
anxious for information respecting European habits and 
manners, and spoke to the Princesses of the dresses, 
bonnets, and cloaks she had been in the habit of seeing 
the Eussian ladies wear at Mosdok. She also took a 
great interest in the progress of the war with the allies. 

{( During the Christmas week," said Shouanette, " all 
was life and gaiety, and everybody went to pay visits of 
congratulation to everybody else ; but here our existence 
is always equally monotonous." 



220 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Shouanette was frequently present when the captives 
were at prayers, and on two occasions joined in their 
devotions. 

On one occasion when alone with the Princesses, she 
related to them the chief incidents of her life, which 
were as follows : — 

" I was taken captive," she said, " with my relations ; 
and Shamil refused to accept a ransom for them, except 
on condition of my remaining. I consented to sacrifice 
myself for my family, and lived with Shamil's late wife 
for three years. During that period every exertion was 
made to convert me to Islamism ; but I was not forced. 
I persisted in not abjuring my own religion; but at last 
I got to know Shamil, and for love of him consented to 
everything. At present I am happy, but I sometimes 
cannot help regretting " 

Here Shouanette hesitated, as if ashamed to finish 
her remark. 

" Kegretting," she continued, "that Shamil will not 
allow us to dress better." 

In the meantime the negotiations for the liberation 
of the Kahetian peasantry and the ordinary prisoners 
were going on ; but not one was restored to freedom with- 
out the occurrence of some painful incident. It appeared 
to be part of the system to make the position of the cap- 
tives so unendurable that they were compelled to call 
upon their relatives to ransom them, however exorbitant 
the sums demanded. The unfortunate peasants were kept 
in deep pits, and so poorly fed that some of them nearly 
died of starvation. Shamil, it is true, was not to blame 



A CAPTIVE IN DESPAIR. 



221 



for this inhuman treatment, which had its origin in 
the avaricious natures of Zaidette and Hadjio, who, with 
all the apparent kindliness of his disposition, became 
grasping and cruel as soon as money was brought into 
the question. 

When the turn of the daughter of the Kizishevi 
priest, her little sister, her two brothers, and her grand- 
mother arrived, the relatives managed to send fifteen 
hundred roubles.* This sum had in all probability 
been collected only by the greatest exertions ; but at 
the seraglio it was deemed insufficient. In vain the 
young girl implored her jailers to let her go, assuring 
them that her father and mother had been killed, and 
that she did not even know herself from whom and by 
what means the money for her ransom had been pro- 
cured. At last, when there appeared to be no possi- 
bility of getting a larger sum, they consented to let the 
young girl depart, but insisted on keeping her little 
sister. 

In her despair, she turned for assistance to the Prin- 
cess Chavchavadzey, who prevailed upon Shouanette to 
intercede for her. 

The only answer Shouanette could obtain was, that 
children without mothers were looked upon as sent 
by Grod in order to be received into the bosom of 
Islamism, but that in consideration of the Princess 
having nursed the little girl herself, she might take her, 
and that she should be liberated simultaneously with 
the Princesses. 



* About 250/. 



222 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



The young girl was consoled, but soon afterwards she 
was tormented by fresh demands for money, and in a 
state of distraction hanged herself. However, Labazan 
came into her room in time to save her, though by 
doing so he gained no thanks from the girl, who 
declared she would renew her attempt at the earliest 
opportunity. 

In the midst of the excitement caused by this terrible 
incident, the wife of old Djemmal-Eddin came running 
to the spot. Shocked at the information she received, 
she hastened to her husband, who at once communicated 
all the particulars to Shamil. Thereupon the Iman 
ordered that all the family should be set at liberty 
immediately, with the exception of the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey's little nursling, who remained with her 
protector. 

After this it may be thought that all was ter- 
minated. But, no; Hadjio and Zaidette said it was 
necessary to equip the liberated captives for their jour- 
ney, and called upon the prisoners in the aoul and in 
the seraglio to provide them with clothes and other 
necessaries. They had to remain three days longer 
in the aoul, during which time it occurred to Hadjio 
and Zaidette to ask this unhappy family for a loaf of 
sugar; and the captives did not hesitate to promise 
them two, on condition that they were allowed to set 
off at once. 

The Touchian who came for the prisoners only brought 
half the ransom money with him. The rest was to be 
paid at the frontier ; and accordingly Selim and several 



INFIDELITY OF SELDI. 



223 



armed men accompanied the captives on horseback, in 
order to receive it at the appointed place. 

Selim had himself volunteered for this duty : and the 
Princesses, who had long suspected that he was in love 
with the minister's daughter, were now confirmed in that 
opinion. He in fact never returned to the mountains ; 
and his wife, finding that she was deserted, filled the 
seraglio with her lamentations. 

Escapes similar to that of Selim were said to be made 
often enough ; but it was impossible to get away without 
great difficulty. 

In the meantime Shamil's spies came in frequently with 
information respecting the movements of his sob, who, it- 
was stated, had been for the last twenty days at Stav- 
ropol, where he was in fact waiting for the arrival of 
Mouravieff, the new Governor of the Caucasus. Shamil 
soon afterwards was himself informed that a new 
governor-general was about to arrive at Stavropol, 
and " that it was not Prince Vorontsoff, nor any prince 
at all, but a general." 

^Yhile waiting impatiently for his son to arrive at the 
frontier, Shamil proposed to the Princesses to send 
a messenger to Hassaff-Yourt to get medicine for 
little Alexander, who was still indisposed. He also 
offered to forward a letter for them to their relatives. 
Shouanette at the same time sent for a piece of shot 
silk for a chemise. The Princess Chavchavadzey wrote 
about this commission to her husband, and it was duly 
executed. The messenger returned with the piece of 
silk, but brought no news about Djemmal-Eddin, ex- 



224 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



cept that he had left St. Petersburgh, and that he was 
expected in the Caucasus, though the period of his 
arrival was uncertain. 

Shouanette was delighted with the piece of silk, and 
divided it with Zaidette. Aminette was again for- 
gotten, and again took offence at the slight, and for 
some time abstained from visiting the Princesses. 

"When Shamil heard of the present his eldest wife 
had received, he was much displeased. He imagined 
the silk had been sent to the Princesses, and observed 
that it was not very delicate to deprive captives of stuff 
of which they probably had need themselves. 

About this time Zaidette paid the prisoners a visit, 
and took occasion to say to them that Djemmal-Eddin's 
return would not have much effect in obtaining their 
liberation, that Shamil had other children, and, finally, 
that the Princesses would not in any case be set free 
for less than a million. 

The Princesses replied that, if such were the final 
decision, they should have to remain in the seraglio as 
long as they lived, for that a million was a sum which 
it was quite impossible they could collect. 

66 You could not even count a million," said they. 

A few days afterwards the prisoners heard that Hadjio 
was employed learning to count up to a million, and 
that, in the absence of money, he was practising with 
beans. 

" But how is it," said Shouanette to them, when they 
were speaking to her about the ransom, "that my 
father was called a millionaire ? If he was only a mer- 



A WEDDING IN THE SERAGLIO. 



225 



chant and had a million, surely a prince must possess 
far more." 

The Princesses replied that the property of a mer- 
chant might consist entirely of money, but that all they 
possessed was land. 

That, land was convertible into money did not seem 
to occur to any of them. 

About this time Shouanette's servant was married ; 
and the proceedings were of too characteristic a nature 
to be passed over in silence. 

In the morning she was dressed in holiday costume, 
her face was whitened, and all superfluous hairs were 
picked out of her eyebrows, so as to make them per- 
fectly regular. She was then covered over with a large 
veil and placed in a separate room. 

A number of women from the seraglio and from the 
aoul assembled, and employed themselves in cooking 
a variety of dishes, and in stuffing a mattress with hay, 
and a quilt and pillows with wool. The rest of the 
trousseau consisted of tin plates, a couple of ket- 
tles, some frying-pans, a metal dish, and a box filled 
with clothes. But the most magnificent part of the 
trousseau was unquestionably that which adorned the 
bride's own person. 

As soon as it was dark the party, with the exception 
of the bride, assembled in Shouanette's room, took their 
seats on the floor, and proceeded to sup. 

When the supper was over, the bride was led outside 
the gates to meet the bridegroom ; but before she left 
the seraglio, Shamil went towards her and invoked a 
blessing on her head. 

Q 



226 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Two or three shots were fired as she passed through 
the outer court, and with that the ceremony appeared 
to terminate. 

It was now the beginning of February ; and it was 
reported that Djeminal-Eddin had already . reached 
Vladi-Kavkas. A messenger, who was sent with a letter 
from the Princesses in order to ascertain the truth of 
this rumour, came back with the information that he 
had even arrived at Hassaff-Yourt. 

The next thing Shamil had to do was to identify 
Djemmal-Eddin; and with this object he despatched to 
Hassaff-Yourt Younous (who had given him up when a 
child to General Grrabbe at the siege of Ahoulgo), Hadjio, 
and Shah-Abbas the interpreter. 

The Princesses heard that Djemmal-Eddin had ar- 
rived in Hassaff-Yourt on the 17th. Before the negoti- 
ations w^ere brought to a conclusion, they demanded 
that Nina the nurse, who had been detained at Dido, 
the little child whom the Princess Chavchavadzey had 
nursed, and Thecla, the young girl who had been taken 
away by Zaidette, should be liberated simultaneously 
with themselves. 

When the messengers returned from Hassaff-Yourt, 
they brought with them a letter from Djemmal-Eddin 
to his father. They said it was easy to see that he 
was ShamiFs child, and that he was very intimate with 
Prince Chavchavadzey, and slept in the same room with 
him. Only one thing had displeased them. At an 
evening party at Hassaff-Yourt, he, the son of their 
Holy Iman, had absolutely danced with the wives of the 
Giaours ! This the messengers had ascertained by 



A TARTAR GOVERNESS. 



227 



watching him into the ball-room, and then looking 
through the window. Zaidette told the Princesses that 
no good could come of this, and that Djemmal-Eddin 
might as well not come back at all; but the Prin- 
cesses observed to her that Djemmal-Eddin would no 
doubt change, and live according to his father's wishes. 
Shouanette supported the Princesses; but Zaidette 
maintained that it would have been much better if 
Shamil, instead of asking for his son, had demanded a 
larger sum of money. The next morning Shouanette 
told them that Shamil had just been saying to her how 
glad he was she had not forgotten her Eussian, as she 
would now be able to talk to Djemmal-Eddin, and that 
he should, in fact, give him up to her altogether. The 
Princesses were desired to write once more to their 
relatives, telling them to give as much money as possible, 
and that not Shamil, but the people, would never be 
contented with less than a million roubles. This the 
captives positively declined to do, saying that, after the 
manner in which their estates had been plundered, it 
would be absolutely impossible for their family to raise 
such a sum. Shamil hearing of this reply, said that the 
captives were not to be troubled any more, and that he 
would conclude the negotiations himself. 

The prisoners were now treated with great attention ; 
but it was still necessary for them to be very cautious 
in their remarks. Of this they had a proof one day 
when the Princess Baratoff happened to say of Shamil 
that, unless he kept his word on the subject of the 
ransom, his son would not form a very good opinion of 
him. The remark, which had been addressed to one of the 

Q 2 



228 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



servants, was repeated with additions to Shouanette ; and 
she was cautioning the captives against such observa- 
tions when Hadji-Kebil the governess, who had also 
heard of the Princess Baratoff's speech, entered the 
room. 

Hadji-Kebil was furious; nor did her anger diminish 
when she observed Shouanette in friendly conversation 
with the captives. She addressed some evidently offen- 
sive expressions to Shamil's favourite wife, and ended 
by pushing her. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey could not conceal her 
just indignation. She desired Aminette to intimate to 
the insane Hadji-Kebil that she must instantly leave 
the room, or that she (the Princess) would find some 
opportunity of informing Shamil of the insults to which 
his wife was subjected ; for it appeared that the other 
inmates of the seraglio were in the habit of reproaching 
Shouanette with having been a Christian, saying that it 
was for this reason she showed so much attention to the 
captives. 

The Princess's words had their effect. Hadji-Kebil 
retired, dissimulating her rage ; and Shouanette, little 
by little, was pacified. 

Then the Princesses turned to Shouanette, begged 
her to consider her own happiness, and reminded her 
of the danger she incurred by coming so often into their 
room, as these visits never failed to excite the rage and 
fanaticism of her enemies. They entreated her not to 
think of them so much as, in her kindness, she was in 
the habit of doing ; and Shouanette, acting upon this 



A TARTAR GOVERNESS. 



229 



advice, again allowed intervals of some length to occur 
between her visits. 

They however renewed their intimacy with Aminette, 
who had quite forgotten her annoyance about the silk, 
and who now came to see them regularly every day. 
She assured the captives that she took the greatest 
pleasure in annoying Zaidette ; and this appeared pro- 
bable enough, for she constantly did so* 



Q 3 



230 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. VIII. 

Toward the end of February (1855), Younous, Hadjio, 
and Shah-Abbas returned, for the second time, from 
Hassaff-Yourt, bringing with them a letter from Prince 
David Chavchavadzey, the contents of which were not 
communicated to the Princesses until some time after- 
wards. 

The Princesses were much agitated at hearing nothing 
about the purport of this communication, especially 
as they received no letter at all themselves. The 
day after the arrival of the messengers, the Princess 
Chavchavadzey went to Shouanette, who, she hoped, 
might be able to tell her something about the state of 
affairs; but Shouanette, instead of being in her own 
room, was with Zaidette. The Princess had never en- 
tered the apartment of the Tartar wife, for whom she 
had the greatest contempt ; but at present her anxiety 
overcame every other feeling, and she determined on 
paying her a visit. It was early in the morning, and 
Zaidette and Shouanette were at breakfast. The two 
wives invited the visitor to take a seat on the carpet, 
and offered her a cup of tea. 

" What news ? " asked the Princess, as she accepted 
the proffered cup. 

" The messengers," said Zaidette, " bring word that 



shamil's threats. 



231 



the money is at Hassaff-Yourt, where it is being changed 
for silver. To-morrow Shamil will send your people his 
last conditions, and I hope the affair will soon be brought 
to a happy termination." 

The Princess could not conceal her joy at this unex- 
pected news. But Zaidette was only deceiving her. The 
next day brought fresh misfortunes to the captives, and 
left them with less hope than ever of a speedy release. 

Early in the morning they were awakened by the 
approach of Indris, who made his appearance in the 
gallery immediately in front of their door. The sight 
of Indris was, in itself, a sign of evil. 

" This will not do, ladies" said Indris, with a sneer, 
annoyed at having to wait while they dressed themselves. 
" If they send you to fetch water, you will soon give up 
these grand airs." 

Eeceiving the man's insults in silence, the Princesses, 
as soon as they were dressed, went into the balcony, and 
inquired what important news he had come to commu- 
nicate. 

u p r i nce Chavchavadzey's last letter has made Shamil 
very angry," replied Indris. " The Iman has decided 
to put an end to the negotiations, and to send you into 
the aouls, as presents to the Naibs ; and I have come 
now to tell you to get ready for the journey. Look at 
your children's clothes, and see if they want an} T thing 
new. They are also to be distributed about the aoids, 
and there they will not be able to get any thing." 

It is impossible to describe the effect of these words 
upon the unhappy captives, who were agitated by rage, 
fear, and above all by despair at such a horrible con- 

q 4 



232 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



elusion to their misfortunes, when they had been in full 
expectation of a speedy liberation. 

Princess Chavchavadzey, however, collected all her 
presence of mind, and said to Indris, — 

"We do not believe that Prince David has written 
any thing offensive to Shamil, unless Shamil himself has 
been the cause of it. We demand to have the letter 
brought here and shown to us." 

Indris went away; and the Princesses returned to 
their room. Here they were joined by Shamil's two 
eldest wives, and several of the servants of the seraglio. 
Observing the grief and confusion depicted on the coun- 
tenances of the captives, Zaidette said to them, — 

" How is it you are so agitated ? Really it is not very 
astonishing that Shamil should behave so to you. Your 
relatives are to blame for it all ; why do they not fulfil 
their promises ? " 

The Princesses could not and would not answer these 
remarks of Zaidette. 

Soon afterwards some other messengers arrived from 
Shamil, namely, his son Kazi-Machmat, the interpreter 
Shah- Abbas, the steward Hadjio, and with them several 
Moullas and Naibs. 

The captives were summoned to the gallery ; and the 
conversation began as follows. 

" Shamil,'* 1 said Kazi-Machmat, " offended by Prince 
Chavchavadzey's letter, has determined to give you to 
his Naibs ; but I have begged the Iman to send to your 
relatives once more, in order to induce them, if possible, 
to accede to his proposition." 

" We are obliged to you for your kindness," said the 



shamtl's threats. 



233 



Princess Orbeliani ; " but we cannot believe that Prince 
David would, without cause, write anything disagreeable 
to Shamil. We should like to see Prince David's letter 
ourselves." 

Kazi-Machmat turned to Hadjio, took the letter 
from him, and handed it to the captives. The Princess 
Orbeliani read it and said, — 

" There is nothing in this at all offensive to the Iman ; 
and I beg Shah-Abbas will translate it more correctly 
than he appears to have done." 

"We do not say that there is anything insulting 
in the letter ; but you see what narrow conditions the 
Prince proposes, and we have at the same time heard 
that he has just received a much larger sum than he 
offers for your ransom." 

The Princess Chavchavadzey was burning with rage ; 
and rising from her seat, she said to Kazi-Machmat, — 

w That is not true. I am certain that my husband 
would not conceal or keep back one shaour * when our 
liberty is at stake. He would sacrifice everything. 
Of what use is money to him now ? In all probability 
he offers all he has had time to raise by the mortgage 
of his estates." 

Then, turning to Shah- Abbas, she added,— 

" If they do not understand, you ought to know that 
money cannot be borrowed without security ; and my 
husband has nothing but his land." 

" How can you speak so decidedly ? " said Kazi- 
Machmat. " What should you say if your husband at 
last determined to give a larger sum ? " 

* A Georgian coin, worth twopence. 



234 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS, 



" He will not give a copeik more, I am certain of 
that." 

" But if Government is helping him ? " 

Si That cannot be ; and if such were the case, my 
husband would at once offer all he could dispose of." 

"Will you answer with your head that he has 
nothing more, and that he will never give more than 
what he has offered ? " 

" Yes j I will answer for it with my head," replied the 
Princess, without any reason for doing so beyond a 
sudden inspiration of boldness and decision. 

A firm and determined bearing always produced its 
effect upon the mountaineers ; and they now lowered 
their tone considerably, while Kazi-Machmat continued 
as follows : — 

"Very well. We believe that your husband has 
sacrificed everything : but why has Prince Gregoiy 
Orbeliani broken off the negotiations, and even left 
Temir-Han-Shoura ? " 

" It is probably not of his own free will that he has 
done so, but at the command of his superior officer ; and 
as for the negotiations, he certainly has not abandoned 
them." 

" I am quite sure," said the Princess Orbeliani, " that 
he has himself contributed a large portion of the sum 
offered for our liberation." 

" But he might have conducted a separate negotiation 
for you and the Princess Baratoff, as his nearest rela- 
tives : and if he does not do so, we shall let the Princess 
Chavchavadzey go, and keep you, your son, and your 
niece here." 



THE PBINCESS AND KAZI-MACHMAT. 



235 



The Princess Chavchavadzey again took part in the 
conversation. 

" I am astonished/ she said with indignation, " that 
you are not ashamed to say such things. Above all, 
how can such threats be uttered by Kazi-Machraat, 
who has gained universal glory among his people by 
the incursion into Kahetia, although he cannot con- 
scientiously say that he drew his carbine from its case 
during the whole time ? With two thousand Chech- 
nians, he profited by the unprotected position of a few 
women, and took them as if in a cage. We have cost 
you nothing ; and through us you are going to have 
the happiness of seeing your eldest brother again ; be- 
sides which, you are to receive as much money as we 
can possibly collect. What more can you want from us ? 
and what reason can you have for ill treating us ? Eest 
assured that, if you ask for impossibilities, our relatives 
will have to sacrifice us, and Djemmal-Eddin will be 
kept in Russia. Consider how great your shame and 
humiliation will be then.*' 

When the Princess' words were interpreted to Kazi- 
Machmat, he had enough conscientiousness to offer no 
reply. He reddened, and in his confusion cast down his 
eyes like an abashed child. 

Then the Moullas commenced. 

" That is all very well," they said, as if wishing to 
put an end to the conversation ; " however, Shamil now 
allows you a week to remain here, on condition of your 
writing good letters to your relatives." 

With this the stormy but decisive explanation ter- 
minated ; but as he was going away with the others, 



236 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Shah-Abbas, the interpreter, whispered to the Prin- 
cesses, — 

"Don't disturb yourselves. That is the custom here 
— to frighten the Christians ; but I know it will all end 
well." 

In spite of this answer the captives, when they re- 
turned to their own room, wrote and sent off the follow- 
ing letters. 

THE PRINCESS ANNA ELINICHNA CHAVCHAVADZEY TO PRINCE 
DAVID CHAVCHAVADZEY. 

" Every day we feel our dreadful position more 
and more, but submit with Christian humility to the 
dreadful trial sent us by Heaven. To day, David, we 
were informed that your letter did not satisfy Shamil, 
and he was going to send us to different aouls ; but his 
son Kazi-Machmat asked him to wait for Mohammed's 
return. What is to be done? It seems as though it 
were not Grod's will that we should see one another 
again in this world. In the hope of that future which is 
promised to the suffering, I will undergo with gratitude 
whatever may be in store for me here, and I will con- 
stantly pray that the fate of my children may be more 
fortunate than mine, and that Grod may strengthen you 
in the midst of your grief, and reward you for all the 
happiness which you have conferred on your family and 
on every one who has come near you. 

" We all know that you will not spare any effort to 
save us; but it is impossible to reason with these people. 
Love and self-denial are things they cannot understand. 
It is impossible to convince them that you are unable 



LETTER TO THE PRINCE. 



237 



to collect any larger sum, and that what you already 
offer is not your own, but has been borrowed or begged 
from others, 

" May Grod give you strength. I can add no more." 

THE PRINCESS YARYARA ELIENITCHNA ORBELIANI TO PRINCE 
DAVID CHAYCHAVADZEY. 

" To day they were going to distribute us among the 
Naibs. We thought we were quite lost; but Kazi- 
Machmat and other persons of distinction, including 
the Moullas, asked Shamil to send Hassan and Moham- 
med to you for the last time. Knowing that Gregory 
is not at Hassaff-Yourt, I beg of you, David, to send to 
Tiflis and tell him that we are perishing here. Perhaps, 
if he comes to Hassaff-Yourt, his representations may 
have some influence on Shamil. I have scarcely any 
hope, and scarcely any strength to write. Certainly 
everything is possible to Grod, and if it please him, 
we shall not be lost ; but also if it be his will that 
we should perish, we will die, as we have lived, without 
complaining." 

After despatching these letters, the Princesses re- 
mained for some time in a state of great agitation. The 
Princess Chavchavadzey especially was dreadfully excited, 
and naturally enough, as it was she who had borne all 
the brunt of the conversation with Kazi-Machmat and 
the Naibs. The effect of that conversation now began 
to show itself physically; and the exhaustion of the 
Princess was at length so great that she was obliged to 
lie down on the mattress. At that moment, Shouanette 



238 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



entered the room, and, noticing her alarming condition, 
called the Princess Orbeliani, and said to her, as if 
confidentially,— 

"Listen, Varvara, you are not so young as to be 
astonished at anything unexpected that may happen; 
accordingly, do not be startled at what I am going to 
tell you. Your sister is dying. Consequently it is 
the same thing for us whether we keep her here, or give 
her liberty at once. We will let her go with the 
children ; and I advise you to remain here as a hostage 
until the million is paid." 

" I am quite ready to remain," answered the Princess. 
" I expressed my willingness to do so before ; but I must 
at the same time tell you that you will not get the 
million in any case, and Prince David would never 
consent to ransom one without the other. The affair 
has gone too far." 

" But try ; write to him and say that you agree to 
remain here in expectation of a ransom of one million 
roubles. Shamil has desired that you will do so." 

" I am ready to write the letter, though I am quite 
convinced that neither Prince David nor my sister would 
agree to such conditions." 

Shouanette was much pleased, and ran to acquaint 
Shamil with the success of the mission with which she 
had been entrusted. 

In the meanwhile the Princess Chavchavadzey con- 
tinued to suffer from the effects of her conversation . 
with Kazi-Machmat, but was not so ill as Shouanette 
had imagined. 

Several days, marked by no very striking incident, 



A DELICATE PROPOSITION. 



239 



passed by. Once, however, during that interval, the 
two eldest wives came into the Princesses' apartment ; 
and while Shouanette went with the Princess Orbeliani 
into the balcony, Zaidette remained in the room with 
the Princess Chavchavadzey. 

" Why are you so obstinate ? n said Zaidette to the 
invalid. " Why do you not go away with your Alex- 
ander, and let your sister and the other children remain 
here until you send the million for their ransom ? " 

" But where are we to get the million ? " replied the 
sick Princess, 

" You should take your pocket-handkerchief and go 
round the town collecting it," suggested Zaidette. 

Much as the Princess disliked the conversation of 
Zaidette, this last proposition could not fail to make her 
laugh. Then, in spite of herself she answered, — 

" You argue in vain. I know my own position and 
resources. My origin does not allow me to solicit alms ; 
and even if it did, in the whole course of my life I 
could not collect a tenth part of a million." 

" How is it that your origin is an obstacle to your 
doing so ? " 

. The Princess remembered all at once that she had 
made a mistake in speaking of her birth, and hurried 
to make up for it by giving an answer which was more 
suited to the comprehension of the Tartar woman : — 

" Just as your position would be an impediment to 
you. Your husband will not let you go out of the 
house ; and mine would not let me go about the town 
begging." 

" Well, after this, I do not know what is to be done," 



240 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



said Zaidette, as she rose from her place and left the 
room. 

A few days afterwards the emissaries who had taken 
charge of the Princesses' last letters returned from 
Hassaff-Yourt. With failing hearts the Princesses heard 
of their arrival, and asked to be informed of the result 
of their journey; but on this occasion they were not 
destined to hear anything at all disagreeable. The re- 
turn of the emissaries was made known in the seraglio 
by a general movement and bustle, which were certain 
indications that the Iman was in a good humour. 

The steward Hadjio informed the Princesses that 
Prince David had sent Shamil a very sharp and decided 
message, but that the Iman, in a most unexpected man- 
ner, had appeared quite satisfied — possibly, as Hadjio 
suggested, because decision and boldness were qualities 
for which he had a high admiration. 

" Your affair is now taking a favourable turn," con- 
cluded the steward ; " the old man, Djemmal-Eddin, 
takes your part in the warmest manner." 

No sooner had the steward gone away than Djemmal- 
Eddin himself came to the door. The Princess Or- 
beliani went into the gallery to meet him ; but the 
Princess Chavchavadzey was too ill to leave the room. 

Djemmal-Eddin had a venerable and prepossessing 
appearance. He was a tall, thin, grey-haired old man, 
with regular features and an intelligent expression. 

"How are you both?" he said, through the inter- 
preter Tamara. 

e€ My sister is ill," answered the Princess. 

" I heard so some days since ; and you also have be- 



DJEMMAL-EDDIN THE ELDEK. 



241 



come thinner than you were. I am sorry for you ; but 
you are killing yourselves, I do not understand why 
you are in such a state of despair. We told you from 
the first that no harm should come to you." 

" That is true ; but we are in the power of Shamil, 
and cannot be at our ease, knowing that from one day to 
another we may be separated, taken to the aouls, and 
given to the Naibs." 

" If so, why did you not write to that effect to your 
husband's brother (Prince Gregory Orbeliani) ? It might 
have affected him, and made him consent to increase 
the ransom ? " 

" Because I knew well enough that he had already 
done all that was possible, and that he could do nothing 
more." 

" Why, then, do not you, who are the stronger of the 
two, remain here as a hostage, and liberate your sister, 
who is ill, and all her children?" 

" I am willing to do so, and proposed it myself 
at the beginning of our captivity : but it is now too 
late, and our relations would not consent to such an 
arrangement." 

Djemmal-Eddin, who had been sitting on the bench, 
now rose and said, with warmth, — 

" I swear by my head that everything will end well ! 
Shamil, though a man of great decision, is at the same 
time my son." 

With these words the kind old man was about to 
depart; but the Princess stopped him with the ques- 
tion, — 

"And if Shamil cannot induce his subjects to accept 

R 



242 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS. 



a smaller ransom ? We are told that the people think 
much more of the money than Shamil himself.*' 

" There is a way of convincing the people/* said 
Djemmal-Eddin: "but of that I cannot inform you. 
Before long, perhaps, you will have found it out your- 
selves." 

And the old man retired. 

In reality the Princesses were not long discovering 
in what the means consisted of which Djemmal-Eddin 
had spoken, and which were to induce the people to 
accept the sum offered by the captives* relatives instead 
of the wished-for million. In the midst of the wild 
woods and desert mountains of Shamil's domains lived 
a celebrated hermit, an anchorite of Muridisin, who en- 
joyed a wide renown as a holy, God-fearing man, and 
who for many years had been contemplating His great- 
ness in uninterrupted solitude. This anchorite had been 
sent for, and had arrived at Vedenno, where he was 
placed in Shamil's own room, the door of which led 
to the seraglio, while the window looked out upon the 
exterior courtyard. In this courtyard assembled a 
crowd of mountaineers, consisting principally of those 
who had taken part in the incursion into Kahetia, and 
who therefore were particularly interested in the affair 
of the ransom ; and every day, without intermission, for 
three weeks, the old man preached from the window the 
doctrines of Muridism. Between the parts of his dis- 
course he prayed, using the strangest gesticulations, 
and giving to his body the movement of a pestle in a 
mortar. In the intervals between his prayers, he sang, 
in a piercing voice, ••Astafiour, astafiour- Allah." At 



THE SONG- OF THE MTJRIBS. 



243 



the same time all who were present in the room, 
that is to say, Shamil, Kazi-Machmat, Djemmal- 
Eddin, and the most distinguished of the Iman's body- 
guard sang in chorus, "Lia-illiaha-ii-AUah," making 
the same circular movement as the hermit himself. 
The singing and movements became gradually more 
rapid, until at last the executants reached a state of 
ecstacy, and the phrase sounded from the bottom of 
their breasts like a single word, " Lia ! lia ! " 

These holy exercises, performed by the chief repre- 
sentatives of the celebrated Caucasian Muridism, were 
distinctly audible in the Princesses' apartment. 

The Princesses, who as yet were unable to guess the 
object of this comedy, meditated on the strange manner 
in which the Mahometans worshipped Grod; but Madame 
Drancey lost all patience listening to the piercing 
sounds of the monotonous hymn. 

" Ah! fen ai assez de ces prieres" she exclaimed, 
stopping her ears, while little Gfeorge Orbeliani's nurse 
said with much naivete, — 

" Is it possible, Madame, that Grod will accept such a 
prayer ?" 

With regard to the exclamations of the hermit, who 
constantly repeated his Astaftour-Allah, the nurse re- 
marked that he evidently meant Astaf milion (that 
is to say, " abandon the million"). 

The children for their part were delighted, as they 
were now enabled to imitate the Murids' singing with 
wonderful correctness. 

It has been already said that the preaching and 
praying lasted three weeks. It had commenced before 



244 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



the disagreeable conversation with Kazi-Machmat ; but 
it was only now that the captives began to understand 
what it really meant. Towards the conclusion of his 
discourse, the hermit generally impressed on the people 
the virtue of abstinence, spoke to them of the vanity 
of all worldly possessions, and warned them that riches 
led to every kind of vice, and to destruction as well in 
this world as in the next. 

Shamil had called in the hermit in order to prepare 
the people for consenting to the acceptance of the 
ransom offered by the Princesses' relatives, which was 
so much less than the sum demanded by the moun- 
taineers. When the Princesses understood this, they 
wondered how Shamil, who was now adopting such 
powerful means for influencing his people, and who 
must have made up his mind long before to accept the 
ransom proposed, could nevertheless have allowed them 
to be annoyed by unavailing solicitations and threats. 
Their astonishment was increased when they found 
that for two weeks the mountaineers had been making 
a road to the river Michik (the place of exchange), 
in order to facilitate the passage of carriages on wheels, 
that is to say, their home-made arbas. In reality 
ShamiFs anxiety to remove every obstacle to the return 
of his eldest son was evident; and consequently it would 
be difficult to account for the continued ill treatment of 
the captives, were it not for the fact that a great many 
things occurred in the seraglio without his knowledge, 
and even contrary to his orders. Probably the avarice 
and ill nature of Zaidette were the chief causes of the 
annoyances to which the captives were subjected during 



A GENEROUS MOUNTAINEER. 



245 



the last days of their residence in the seraglio. For these 
days were really the last. On the evening of the morn- 
ing on which old X)j emmal-Eddiri visited the Princesses 
(Saturday, March 5), the steward Hadjio came to them, 
and informed them that they were free; that Djemmal- 
Eddin, who had a right to the fifth part of the ransom, 
had offered to give 4 up his share to be divided among 
the people ; that the people, in consideration of this 
sacrifice, had agreed to accept the 40,000 roubles, and 
that messengers had been sent with the news to 
Hassaff-Yourt. 

Now, according to the custom, there was much 
running about and hurrying to and fro. All the in- 
habitants of the seraglio hastened to the captives to 
congratulate them on their approaching liberation — all, 
except Zaidette. But the one who appeared more de- 
lighted than all the rest was the grandmother of Djem- 
mal-Eddin, the old Bahoo. She visited the prisoners, 
and in the abundance of her joy wept and kissed their 
hands. 



e 3 



246 



CAPTITITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. IX. 

Eight months had now passed since the destruction of 
Tsenondahl and the commencement of the Princesses' 
captivity. But they had still to remain six days longer 
in Shamil's seraglio, before they returned to their native 
land. 

In the meanwhile Kazi-Machmat and his wife were 
on their way from their province to Vedenno, where 
they were to meet Shamil's long-lost son, who was now 
returning to his native land ; independently of which, the 
wife was exceedingly anxious to have an interview with 
the captive princesses. 

On Monday Hadjio came to the Princesses' room, 
and asked them to write to HassafF-Yourt, saying that 
Shamil had chosen Thursday the 10th of March for 
their exchange. According to the mountaineers, Thurs- 
day is Shamil's favourite day, and is always selected 
by him for the commencement of any important en- 
terprise. 

It may be imagined with what joy the letter was 
written. 

On Monday evening Kazi-Machmat and his wife 
reached the aoid; and about the same time came young 
Machmat-Shabi, in whom the Princesses saw a great 
change. His bearing was more sedate, and he appeared 



eazi-machmat's wife. 



247 



to have given up his mischievous habits. It was evident 
that, wherever he had been, he had been well schooled. 

When Kazi-Machmat and his wife were known to be 
approaching the aoul, Shamil's daughters, accompanied 
by their governess Hadji-Kebil and several other women, 
rode out to meet thern. After the party had left the 
seraglio, Shamil, happening to walk out of his private 
room into the court-yard, saw Machmat-Shabi there, and 
began to reproach him with not having gone out to 
meet his brother and his brother's wife. The youth ran 
to the stables, and forthwith saddled a horse ; but he 
was not in time to meet the visitors, as Karimat, Kazi- 
Machmat's wife, had already reached the gates. She 
was sitting gracefully (though at the same time like a 
man), on a beautiful horse. She was dressed in a cloak 
of gold brocade, lined with sable. From her head a 
chadra of white cambric hung down her neck and back. 
Her face was covered with a thick veil embroidered in 
gold. 

This was the first time the Princesses saw such a 
rich costume in the seraglio. They were astonished 
above all at the sable and the gold brocade ; but the 
presence of such luxuries among the mountaineers 
of Chechni was soon explained. The Princesses re- 
membered that Karimat was the daughter of Daniel- 
Sultan, who had once been the independent sovereign 
of his own province, and afterwards a major-general 
in the Eussian service; so that he had had ample 
opportunities of procuring the most costly articles of 
dress for his wife, from whom, in all probability, they 
had descended to Karimat as her mother's heiress. 



248 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS. 



Karimat was met with much ceremony in the court- 
yard of the seraglio. She was received in succession 
by Zaidette, then by Shouanette, and finally by 
Aminette ; after which she was conducted to the apart- 
ment of Zaidette, where she took her seat on the carpet. 
After some minutes, Shamil entered the room, and in 
a verv strange manner welcomed his daughter-in-law. 

6i Dear Karimat/' he said in a very solemn tone, " it 
is very agreeable for me to see you ; but it is not agree- 
able at our first meeting to remark that my son's wife 
has not yet given up her former habits, and that she 
continues to wear expensive apparel. It appears to me 
that a gold cloak is quite unnecessary, especially here, 
where simplicity is the rule with every one." 

Unfortunately Karimat's reply to the Iman was not 
communicated to the Princesses. 

On the following day, Tuesday, Zaidette sent to tell 
the captives that, if they wished to see the things 
which had been taken from Tsenondahl, they could 
come to her room, when they would perhaps feel in- 
clined to buy some of them. The Princesses accepted 
the invitation, and found a number of persons assembled 
and seated in a very formal manner on the carpets. On 
one side of Zaidette sat Machmat-Shabi, and on the 
other, Shouanette. Xext to Shouanette was Karimat ; 
then came Aminette, and afterwards, in due order, were 
Shamil's daughters and several other women. The stew- 
ard Hadjio was also there ; and his presence deprived the 
Princesses of the pleasure of seeing Karimat's face, as all 
the women remained veiled in consequence of a man 
being in the room. In the midst of the company, 



FAMILY TREASURES. 



249 



numerous articles of plate and jewellery, the plunder of 
Tsenondahl, were lying on the ground. Most of this 
once valuable property was battered or broken, much of 
it was utterly spoiled, and altogether not a tenth part 
remained uninjured. The Princesses were asked to sit 
down and choose, from among their own things, what- 
ever they felt disposed to purchase. They replied that 
they had been so much knocked about, as to be now 
almost worthless. 

The Princesses could not look without a pang upon 
the shattered remains of their family plate and exquisite 
jewellery, of which many pieces were heir-looms. They 
were especially grieved at finding the fragments of a 
diamond bouquet, magnificently set in the antique 
style, and which, independently of its intrinsic value, 
was admirable as a work of art. 

But there was another reason for the extraordinary 
value which was set upon this bouquet by the Prin- 
cesses. It had been given by the Empress Catherine 
the Great to Prince David's grandmother when she 
accompanied her husband Prince Gersevan Chavcha- 
vadzey to St. Petersburgh, where he had been sent on 
a mission by Eracli the last king but one of Georgia. 

As for the modern work, wherever there was enamel, 
the surface had been scratched or chipped, probably 
through the mountaineers testing it with their daggers. 
In the diamond ornaments many of the best stones 
were missing. 

Among all this dilapidated jewellery the Princess 
found a small and not very expensive bracelet, which 
had belonged to her eldest daughter Salome. 



250 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



" This was my daughter's/' said the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey. 

Machmat-Shabi, with the cordiality of a good-natured 
boy, instantly took it, and said, " I will take it to 
Salome ; " but Zaidette snatched it from his hand, and 
began seriously to reproach him. She was determined 
to keep up her character to the last. 

After this a box was opened which contained various 
articles belonging to the Princess Orbeliani. All these 
things had been much better preserved, probably because 
they had chanced to fall into better hands. The Princess 
searched for some trinkets which had once been her 
husband's, and succeeded in finding two rings that he had 
been in the habit of wearing. But she had the impru- 
dence to rejoice at her discovery, and consequently was 
deprived of it. Every one saw how Zaidette took hold 
of the rings and slipped them down her sleeve. 

The captives now refused to buy anything, upon 
which Shouanette turned to the Princess Chavchavadzey 
and said that there was one ring which pleased her 
very much, that it was valued at fifteen roubles, and 
that she should like to buy it from the people. % 

" Do as you like," replied the Princesses ; " all the 
things are in your power and at your disposal." 

The captives returned in sadness to their room, and 
could not help comparing their present position with 
their former one — so forcibly recalled to them by the 
remnants of their lost riches. But they remembered that 
in a few days the best of all treasures, liberty and their 
native land, would be restored to them, and they were not 
long in consoling themselves with this happy prospect. 



MAHOMETAN MODESTY. 



251 



Karimat, whom they had been so anxious to see, had 
remained veiled during the whole of the conversation 
respecting the jewellery ; but the Princesses were com- 
pensated for this by a very amusing scene in which Kari- 
mat afterwards took part, and which they saw through 
the door of their room. The grandmother Bahoo, in 
whose apartments Kazi-Maehmat was staying (while his 
wife lived and slept either with Zaidette or with Hadji- 
Bebil), sent her grandchildren, Kazi-Machmat's sisters, to 
bring Karimat, whether she liked it or not, into her room. 
Karimat positively refused to go, upon which Shamil's 
daughters watched for her in the courtyard, seized her, 
and carried her along by force, amid peals of laughter. 
Karimat nevertheless contrived to escape, and ran to 
Zaidette. 

This entertaining scene explained to the captives one 
of the customs of the Chechnian seraglio ; and they dis- 
covered that propriety forbade Kazi-Machmat not only 
to share the same room with his wife, but even to meet 
her, during the whole period of his visit to his father. 
This was why Karimat so positively refused to enter, even 
in the day time, the apartment of the old Bahoo in 
which Kazi-Machmat was residing, and why she also 
resisted the attempt of her husband's sisters to convey 
her there by force. 

Such excessive prudery might be accounted for by 
the purity and modesty of the mountaineers' life; but it 
would be more correct to adopt the explanation of 
Madame Drancey: " de la pruderie qui masque la 
nudite de Vimpudeur, et qui met a tort les points suv 
les i? 



252 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Towards the evening Karimat sent to the Princess 
Chavchavadzey, to say that she should like very much to 
see Prince David's daguerreotype, which had been sent 
to his wife with many other things at the beginning of 
her captivity. The Princess was also most anxious to see 
Karimat, and lost no time in taking her the portrait her- 
self. Karimat was sitting in Hadji-Eebil's room. When 
the Princess entered, her host, who was working some 
shoes for the expected Djemmal-Eddin, rose from her 
place, took two steps toward her, held out her hand, 
and, with an ease and grace which was surprising 
in an inhabitant of Chechni, said, — 

" I am much obliged to you for bringing me yourself 
what I asked for, and thus affording me the agreeable 
opportunity of becoming personally acquainted with 
you. I was thinking of going to visit you, but I 
was afraid you would think I was only prompted by 
curiosity." 

The Princess did not know which to admire the 
most, her language, which, so far from being that of an 
inhabitant of a barbarous country, was worthy of a lady 
moving in the most refined society, or her majestic 
beauty. The conversation and deportment of Karimat 
made the Princess forget that she was still in Shamil's 
seraglio. This was the first time she had been addressed 
in a civilised manner. Shouanette and Aminette had 
certainly always behaved to her with much kindness; 
but their conversation bore no resemblance to that of 
educated ladies, nor to that of Karimat. 

Karimat's outward appearance also deserves to be 
mentioned. She was tall, well formed, slender and 



A CAUCASIAN LADY. 



253 



graceful, with hazel eyes, a short, straight, and rather 
sharp nose, a beautifuily-formed mouth and admirable 
teeth. She had long thick black hair, black eyebrows, 
long silken eyelashes, and white delicate hands. 

Her costume corresponded with her beauty. She 
wore a long fine white chemise, so long that the ex- 
tremity touched the ground and concealed her feet. 
Above the chemise she wore an ahalooch of dark crim- 
son satin, lined with green taffetas, and trimmed with a 
satin ribbon of the same colour. The slashed sleeve of 
the ahalooch was held together with loops and but- 
tons of gold, which also adorned the front of the body. 
Beneath the satin sleeves of the ahalooch were seen the 
long white ones of the chemise. On her head she 
wore a small black silk handkerchief, and over that a 
white muslin veil which hung in folds down her back. 
Her earrings were in the form of a crescent, like those 
of ShamiPs wives ; but while theirs were of silver and 
quite plain, hers were of gold and ornamented with 
precious stones. 

The Princess and Karimat sat down, and soon be- 
came intimate, although their conversation was carried 
on through an interpreter. 

" Do you understand Georgian ? 99 asked the Princess. 

" I understand it, but I am ashamed to talk it," replied 
Karimat. " I was very young when I was removed by 
my relatives from Tiflis, where I used to live with my 
father and mother." 

" Is your mother still alive ? " 

" No ; she died some years since." 

They then talked about the journey from Kahetia to 



254 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Vedenno, after which a variety of unimportant subjects 
were discussed, Karimat continuing to converse in the 
most agreeable manner. 

The Princess could not understand how Karimat had 
learned to speak with so much grace and facility. The 
only explanation of such a phenomenon in a woman of 
Chechni is to be found in Karimat's noble extraction, 
and the natural result of good birth, in her early educa- 
tion, and in the influence of her father, who had passed 
the greater part of his youth in the society of Europeans. 
However this may be, it is impossible but that the ex- 
istence of such a woman in Chechni, and above all in 
the exalted position occupied by the wife of Shamil's 
heir, will have an effect upon the latter, and, through 
him, on his future subjects. The Princess Chavchav- 
adzey's conversation with the interesting Karimat was 
interrupted, to the great regret of both, by Shouanette's 
servant, who came to say that her mistress was unwell, 
and would be glad if the Princesses would pass {C their 
last evening" with her. However, Karimat did not leave 
the Princess, bat went with her to Shouanette's room, 
where they were joined by the Princess Orbeliani and 
the Princess Nina Baratoff. At one time Shouanette 
expressed her delight at the captives' liberation, and at 
another could not speak of their departure without 
tears. 

" And I — " she said, " never ! - ' 

The party were all occupied making a chalma for a 
Circassian cap, which was to be given to little George 
Orbeliani ; but Shouanette could think of nothing but 
the approaching separation. 



THE LAST EVENING. 



255 



{c Now you are going away, you will forget us/' said 
Shouanette, in a melancholy tone. "When you get 

home, you will live as you did before; but I 

We had become fond of you ; your presence here occu- 
pied and interested us ; and we were quite accustomed 
to you." 

" Do not forget," said Zaidette, " with what kindness 
you were treated, and how much was done to alleviate 
your fate." 

" We certainly shall never forget those who have 
been kind to us, and have wished us well," answered 
the Princess Chavchavadzey. 

At this moment some one entered the room with the 
news that the arbas had arrived. These were arbas 
with four wheels, such as had never been seen before in 
Chechni. At the same time Eva, the infant daughter of 
the priest of Kizis-hevi, was brought from the aoul into 
the seraglio, Shamil having (as we have said) given her to 
the Princess, who had nursed her on the road. Zaidette 
had the bad taste to say, in the Iman's name, that for 
the freedom of the little child thirty roubles more must 
be added. The Princess promised that that sum should 
be paid on the place of exchange. There was another 
little girl of five years of age, Thecla, whose release 
could not be procured by any means, and who, in spite 
of everything, was detained in the seraglio. 

When the visitors returned to their own room, a great 
crowd assembled there, including the women who had 
still to remain at Vedenno. The Princesses divided 
among them whatever clothes they could spare, their 
dishes, saucepans, and, in short, all that had been sent 



256 



CAPTIYITT IN THE CAUCASUS. 



to them during their captivity. Zaidette, hearing what 
was taking place, ran into the apartment, and, keeping 
up her character to the last, took possession of the 
Princesses' somovar.* 

* The Russian tea-urn, in which the water is heated by means of 
charcoal placed in a tube in the centre* 



THE DEPARTURE, 



257 



CHAP. X. 

With the dawn of the 9th of March commenced a 
happy day for the Princesses, but one which was at the 
same time not without its sadness. 

The first thing in the morning, the steward Hadjio 
began to prepare the arbas, to which horses instead of 
oxen were harnessed ; and the Princesses were still more 
astonished at seeing men attired like Eussian coachmen 
holding the reins, while on the left leader of each team, 
a postillion was seated. It was evident that Shamil 
wished to make a great display. 

While carpets were being placed at the bottom of the 
arbas, which were at the same time stocked with loaves 
(on this occasion not covered with grease, thanks to 
Aminette's attention), fruit, and other refreshments, the 
captives were invited to Zaidette's room, where tea was 
prepared for them. ShamiPs wives and daughters, 
Karimat, and all the Princesses' friends were present. 

During the breakfast the conversation flagged dread- 
fully. Those who were departing and those who had to 
remain were equally sad. Yes, it was painful even for 
those who were going away ; for their delight at return- 
ing to their native land could not extinguish in them 
a feeling of melancholy, arising from the thought that 
they were separating for ever from a world in which, 

s 



258 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS. 



in the midst of much harshness and cruelty, they had 
also met with sympathy and kindness. Aliens as these 
women were to them in almost every respect, they still 
could not part from them without sorrow. Now that 
they were returning to a Christian and civilised world, 
it was painful to reflect that their late associates were 
still to suffer beneath the yoke of a false and fatal super- 
stition. Such were the thoughts that were uppermost 
in the Princesses' minds during their last interview with 
the inhabitants of ShamiFs seraglio. 

At last the moment for saying farewell arrived. 

The Princesses bowed politely to Zaidette, and com- 
missioned her to thank Shamil for all the care he had 
taken of them. 

Then they embraced and kissed Shouanette. 

"Do not forget me," she said through her tears. 

Aminette was not able to bear the leave-taking. She 
ran weeping from the room, and, wrapping herself up 
in her cloak, waited in the courtyard near the gates. 

After pressing the hand of Karimat and the others 
who were present, the Princesses covered their faces with 
their veils, and went out upon the gallery. Here at the 
door they met ShamiFs tutor, old Djemmal-Eddin, and 
told the venerable old man that they knew and felt 
how much they were indebted to him. 

" Grod be with you," he replied. " Be happy, you 
have suffered a great deal." 

Passing along the gallery, they came to the apart- 
ment of the grandmother Bahoo, and were met by her 
at the door. The old woman, with tears in her eyes, 
thanked them that, through their misfortunes and the 



A CAPTIVE DETAINED. 



2.59 



patient manner in which they had borne their sufferings, 
they had procured her the pleasure of seeing once more, 
before her death, her lost and favourite grandson, 
Djemmal-Eddin. "I shall never forget," continued 
Bahoo, " what you have undergone. I will pray for 
your happiness." 

By the side of Bahoo, and looking up earnestly at the 
Princess Chavchavadzey, was the poor little girl Thecla, 
who was being detained in the seraglio. At the sight 
of this victim of fanaticism, the Princess felt her heart 
sink. She went towards the child, made the sign of 
the cross before her, and said, — 

" If you should grow up here, never forget that you 
are a Georgian, and whenever you have an opportunity 
help the Christians." 

Whether the little girl understood the significance of 
this important injunction, is unknown.* 

The Princesses now began to take their seats in the 
arbas. In the first the Princess Chavchayadzey placed 
herself with her children and the daughter of the Kisis- 
hevi priest, whom she had now adopted. In the second 
were the Princess Orbeliani, the Princess Baratoff, 
Madame Drancey, and the nurse who was earning 

* The Princesses did not understand Shamii's obstinate determina- 
tion to keep Thecla. But it occurred to them that Shamil had chosen 
all his wives, with the exception of Zaidette the daughter of his vener- 
able tutor, from among his captives, by which means he avoided marry- 
ing any of the daughters of his Naibs,— thus confining the right of 
succession in the strictest manner to his own direct heirs, and destroying 
all pretext for intrigues upon one important point. Tne Princesses 
could not help fancying that Thecla was destined to be made the wife of 
some one at Dargi-Yedenno, probably of Machinat-Shabi. 

s 2 



260 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS'. 



little George. The third and fourth were occupied by 
the servants from Tsenondahl, who were ransomed 
simultaneously with the Princesses. 

Twenty-two persons, the exact number that had been 
taken from Tsenondahl eight months before, were now 
returning there. But the individuals were not all the 
same. Daredjana the steward's wife had been mur- 
dered by her conductors, at the foot of the hill of 
Kontzhi, where the mountaineers fell into Captain 
Hitrovo's ambuscade; and Lydia, the Princess's little 
girl, had perished at the same time. On the other 
hand, one of the captives had given birth to a child 
during her residence in the seraglio, and, finally, the 
priest's daughter, whom the Princess had adopted, com- 
pensated, numerically speaking, for the unfortunate 
nurse, who, in spite of every exertion to rescue her, had 
been detained in some unknown aoul. 

The liberated prisoners rode from the inner into the 
outer court, and passed through the principal gates. 
Here they breathed more freely, as they once more 
felt the open air upon their cheeks. 

As they went through the aoul, they heard the 

following appeal, in the Georgian language, proceeding 

from several of the houses : — 

" You who know what we suffer here, do not forget 
us!" 

The arbas were accompanied by a large escort, 
indeed by an entire division, at the head of which rode 
Kazi-Machmat upon a magnificent white horse. Mach- 
mat-Shabi was also present at the head of his company, 
which was composed of boys of his own age^ and 



AN AGREEABLE MEETING. 



261 



formed part of Kazi-Machmat's division. While they 
were still in the aoul, the Princesses suddenly came up 
with Prince Ivan Chavchavadzey. This meeting was 
more gratifying, inasmuch as it was entirely unex- 
pected. Prince Ivan rode towards the Princesses, 
and said that he was himself quite unaware to whom 
he was indebted for his delivery. 

"And Prince Vagnadzey?" asked the Princesses. 

" He, I regret to say, is still in captivity," was the 
answer. 

On passing through the aoul this time, the Princesses 
were so elated that they again failed to notice any par- 
ticular point of interest about the place, such as must 
undoubtedly exist. They remember, however, that they 
came to a drawbridge, which was thrown over a very 
broad moat filled with water. After crossing the bridge 
they turned to the left, and instantly began to descend 
a mountain. The first arba accomplished this descent 
in safety, but the second one, in which the Princess 
Orbeliani was riding, was upset by its awkward driver. 

Luckily no one suffered from the fall. 

From the foot of the mountain they went through a 
wood, and came out opposite a river, along the banks of 
which, and sometimes in the very bed, they drove nearly 
the whole day. On each side of the river were high 
mountains covered with wood. 

The party halted in a wood at a small aoul, in front 
of which lay a broad green plain. Here the moun- 
taineers indulged in a number of their favourite exer- 
cises. They raced, chased one another, and fired at 
different objects thrown high into the air. In these 

s 3 



262 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



trials of skill Kazi-Machmat was especially successful, 
nor was Machmat-Shabi much behind his brother. 
Both gave evidence of remarkable activity and adroit- 
ness; and both were very graceful, and looked remark- 
ably handsome in their gala costumes. Kazi-Machmat 
was dressed in white, and Machmat-Shabi in dark blue. 

Here the Princesses were to be joined by Shamil, who 
was advancing under a large black parasol, in the midst of 
his Murids, with Daniel-Sultan, Kazi-Machmat's father- 
in-law, riding by his side. After a short rest and a 
light repast, the cortege was again in motion, and before 
dark reached Maior-Toup, the last aoul in the territory 
of Shamil, immediately opposite the Eussian frontier. 
In Maior-Toup they were to pass the night. Shamil 
and the Princesses occupied contiguous huts, and were 
protected by Murids, the flower of the Iman's body- 
guard. 

Having made their arrangements as best they could, to 
pass their last night in Shamil's territory, the Princesses 
occupied themselves writing letters to their relatives, 
and at Shamil's request named the hour and minute at 
which the exchange was to take place on the following 
day. Among other things, the Princesses wrote for a 
gold watch to give to the Moulla, the same old man who 
had behaved with so much sympathy and kindness to- 
wards them when he accompanied them from the aoul 
of Dido to Dargi-Vedenno, and who had now made his 
appearance to go with them to the place of exchange. 
It would also be a most unjust omission not to state that 
the " benevolent Moulla*' visited the captives twice 
during their residence in Shamil's seraglio. 



PRECAUTIONS. 



263 



The Princesses were preparing to go to sleep when a 
messenger (Abdoul, a Russian deserter) came to them 
from Shamil and told the Princess Varvara Orbeliani 
that the Iman wished her to write to the fort of Kourinsk, 
which was not more than twenty versts * distant, and 
where Prince David and Djemmal-Eddin were to pass 
the night. She was to ask Grramoff the interpreter to 
come at once to Maiour-Top. The Princess instantly 
complied with ShamiTs desire, but was at the same 
time much alarmed by a suspicion that some new 
obstacles were being invented. 

A few hours afterwards, Isaac Grramoff arrived from 
the fort of Kourinsk, and remained during the whole 
night alone with Shamil. In the morning he visited the 
captives and hastened their preparations for the conclu- 
sion of the journey. 

" What did Shamil want with you ? " asked the 
Princesses. 

" To arrange all the details respecting the exchange, 
and to ask our people not to bring too large a body of 
men," was the reply. Grramoff then gave the Princesses 
the watch they had asked for, took a hurried farewell, 
and went off. 

GrramofF s answer did not satisfy the Princesses at all. 
On the contrary, they could not understand why Shamil 
wished there should be this diminution in the number 
of Russian troops present at the exchange, and were 
afraid that he entertained some treacherous intentions. 
These suspicions poisoned the moments of delightful 
expectation which they would otherwise have enjoyed. 

* About thirteen miles, 
s 4 



264 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS. 



Soon after the departure of Gramoff, the captive.-. 
Sharnil, and all his troops, left Maior-Toup, and 
advanced in the direction of the river ]\Iichik. Imme- 
diately behind the captives, at the head of his division, 
rode Kazi-3Iachmat. Then came the Xaibs with their 
respective regiments ; and in the rear, Shamil and 
Daniel-Sultan surrounded by Murids. 

The journey was not a tedious one. The Michik was 
quite near ; however, before the Princesses reached the 
place where the Russian regiments were to be stationed, 
an incident occurred of no great importance, but which 
at the same time deserves mention. Abdoul | the Russian 
deserter) galloped past the Princesses, announcing, 
right and left, what he appeared to think excellent 
news. The Princesses in the first instance did not 
recognise him. although thev had seen him the night 
before. Having asked one of the drivers, who was also 
a Russian, what the news which appeared to give so 
much pleasure to the news-bearer happened to be, they 
received the following answer : — 

" It is easy to tell why he is so pleased : something 
must have happened to the Russians.'' 

The driver of the avba in which the Princess Chav- 
chavadzey was riding turned round and added, — 

K There, my lady, you see what sort of birds are here. 
Do not think anything of him. Although you see 
him riding about in that style, he has a very bad life of 
it, like all us silly deserters. We are treated like dogs. 
They giye us all the dirtiest and heaviest work : and if 
you do anything to offend them, your head is instantly 
cut off. All the deserters are treated exactly as I tell 



RUSSIAN DESERTERS. 



265 



you. Shamil mistrusts and dislikes deserters, and keeps 
them for the dirty work." 

" Then why do you not return to your regiment ? " 

a We should be very glad to return, but we are afraid 
of being called to account." 

In this manner the Princesses proceeded along the 
road, which had evidently been only just cut out and laid 
down. They forded a river on horseback, ascended a 
height in the same manner, then took their seats again 
on the arbas 3 and continued their journey. 

The Princess Chavchavadzey's driver now turned 
round and pointed towards the chief who was riding by 
Shamil's side, wearing a Eussian cloak and a chalma 
round his cap. 

" Who is he ? 99 inquired the Princess. 

"A Russian general, who has nothing left of the 
general but his cloak," answered the driver, ironically, 
and then, by way of explanation, added that this was 
Daniel-Sultan. 

Having descended a woody slope, the Princesses saw 
before them a spacious plain, through which meandered 
the almost dried-up river Michik. Beyond the river, on 
a height, the Russian regiments were beginning to appear. 

The arbas halted. In a state of indescribable 
agitation the Princesses got out on to the grass and 
began to pray. A few minutes afterwards Nicolai and 
Hugo (Baron Nicolai's servants) approached the cap- 
tives and welcomed them. The Princesses took their 
seats again in the arbas, and were driven over two 
ditches, that is to say, dried-up arms of the Michik. In 
one of these the steward Hadjio had to remain with 



266 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



a bundle containing a Chechnian costume for young 
Djemmal-Eddin. Then the rest of the party continued 
to advance towards the Russian soldiers. In front of the 
arbas rode Kazi-Machmat,, Machmat-Shabi, and the 
Murids. At last the arbas stopped, and the t€ benevolent 
Moulla " of Dido took little Alexander in his arms and 
carried him to Prince David. At the same time Djem- 
mal-Eddin, in the uniform of a Eussian officer, rode 
forward to the Princess Chavchavadzey, and giving her 
a letter from her relatives in Moscow, said that he 
had visited them all personally before taking his depar- 
ture for the Caucasus. The Princess received the letter 
in silence. She wished to thank Djemmal-Eddin ; but 
pity for the fate which awaited him, gratitude for his 
self-devotion, and a host of other feelings, deprived her 
of the power of speech. She was unable to say one 
word to the chief author of her liberation. 

The arbas were now surrounded by Murids, while 
Kazi-Machmat rode up to the Princesses and addressed 
them as follows : ■ — 

" The Iman has commissioned me to ask you, Prin- 
cesses, to preserve no evil recollections of the time you 
passed in his house. If you suffered any discomfort 
in our family, it certainly did not arise from any 
intention on his part, but only from ignorance as to 
the proper manner of treating you." 

The interpreter translated these words of Shamil's 
son, which are in every respect worthy of remark. 
Then — but the Princesses only remember that then 
commenced the happiest moments of their lives ! 



THE NEGOTIATIONS. 



267 



PART III. 



CHAPTEE I. 

As far as Shamil personally is concerned, we shall learn 
much more of his character, thoughts, and even habits, 
from the part he took in the negotiations respecting the 
ransom and the exchange of prisoners, than from the 
Princess Chavchavadzey's detailed account of the daily 
life in the Iman's seraglio. Of these negotiations the 
captives, as has been seen, had hitherto scarcely heard 
anything. 

The duration of the Princesses' imprisonment de- 
pended principally on the activity displayed by the dis- 
consolate husband and bereaved father, Prince David 
Chavchavadzey. The part taken by the Government cer- 
tainly decided the fate of two of the most distinguished 
families of Georgia ; but in spite of the Emperor's offer, 
the mountaineers persisted so obstinately in their ex- 
orbitant demands that the negotiations would have been 
interminable, had they not been conducted with the 
greatest energy and skill, not only on the part of Prince 
David, but also on that of Prince Gregory Orbeliani and 
Major-General Baron Nicolai, who joined their exertions 



268 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



to his. Fortunately the three negotiators were not 
only very near relatives of the captives, but also the 
chief military commanders in the districts adjoining 
Shamil's domains of Chechni and Daghestan. 

We left Prince Chavchavadzey on the 10th of July, 
after he had despatched an account of his military pro- 
ceedings to his superior officer, and set off through 
Telaff to Tiflis. 

At Tiflis the Prince went to the house of his youngest 
sister's husband, Baron A. Nicolai (member of the 
governing council of the Trans-Caucasian provinces, 
and inspector of schools in the Caucasus). In the midst 
of his relatives, and surrounded by universal sympathy, 
he was at the same time quite inconsolable, especially 
as he had heard no information whatever respecting 
his lost family. It was not until the 10th of August 
that he received the first letter from Dargi-Vedenno : 
and it may be remembered that the captives did not 
arrive there until the 6th. The contents of the letter 
were simple enough. The captives merely stated that 
they had arrived at Shamil's house after a journey 
of four weeks, that Shamil showed them attention, that 
he had promised all the prisoners from Tsenondahl 
should be kept together, and that he did not object to 
receive propositions for their ransom. 

The only consoling part of the letter was the last 
paragraph, as it had been supposed Shamil would 
not liberate the Princesses on any terms, and that it 
would even be impossible to open a negotiation with 
him. Before leaving Shildy, the Prince had liberated 
a Chechnian prisoner and sent him with a letter 



FIBST PROPOSITION. 



269 



to Shamil and Daniel-Sultan at the tower of Pohali, 
begging them not to take the captives into the interior, 
and reminding them that there was nothing to be gained 
by treating them harshly. He had concluded by pro- 
posing that the terms of a ransom should be agreed 
upon at once and before the Princesses were removed 
from the tower, — assuring the Mountain Chief at the 
same time that he would offer all the money he could 
command. To this no answer had been sent. 

Prince David then was much rejoiced to find that 
there was at length a possibility of treating for the 
Princesses' freedom. The letter from Vedenno had been 
forwarded to the Prince by Baron Nicolai (the General). 
The Baron had received it from Mohammed, the man 
from the frontier, who afterwards acted constantly as a 
messenger between Shamil and the Princesses' relatives. 
Prince David instantly prepared to set off for Hassaff- 
Yourt; but five days elapsed before he was ready to start, 
during which time he was occupied procuring a variety 
of things to forward to the captives. At last, on the 
15th of August, when all the necessary preparations were 
completed, he left Tiflis accompanied by his sister the 
Baroness Nicolai. 

About forty versts from Hassaff-Yourt the travellers 
were met by Baron Nicolai and his servant Nicolas, who, 
after bravely volunteering to visit the captives, had 
now just returned from Dargi- Vedenno. Nicolas took 
his seat in the carriage by the side of Prince Chavcha- 
vadzey and his sister, and all the way to Hassaff-Yourt 
consoled them by giving comparatively favourable 
accounts of the captives. As soon as they arrived at 



270 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS. 



Hassaff-Yourt, Prince Chavchavadzey wrote and de- 
spatched to Sliamil the following letter. 

" Neither your position nor mine will allow either of 
us to bargain. To me, especially when the happiness of 
ray family is in question, such a course would be quite un- 
becoming. You know well enough how completely I have 
been ruined by your last incursion into Kahetia : and I 
therefore think I may reckon upon your demands being 
somewhat in accordance with my resources. I have 
simply nothing left of my own, but I have been able to 
collect from different persons the sum of forty thousand 
roubles silver : and this sum I offer you for the liberty 
of my own family^ and that of ray wife's sister. My 
-wife's letter makes me acquainted with your treatment 
of herself and the children : and I feel it my duty to 
thank you. while I again recommend them to your special 
attention.'' 

This letter was taken to Shamil by Mohammed and 
Zachar. 

Two weeks afterwards Shamil's answer was received. 
It contained, as is already known, a demand for a million 
roubles, and the return of his eldest son Djemmal- 
Eddin. Mohammed and Zaehar, to whom the answer 
had been confided, were accompanied to Hassaff-Yourt 
by Hassan, an emissary of Shamil's own choosing. Prince 
Chavchavadzey, perplexed and confounded by the Iman's 
exorbitant conditions, went off to consult Prince Gre- 
gory Orbeliani at Temir-Han-Shoura, whither he was 
accompanied by Hassan, who was waiting to take back 
the reply to Dargi-Yedenno. However, before leaving 



FIRST COUNTER-PROPOSITION. 



271 



Hassaff-Yourt, the Prince despatched the following 
letter to General Bead. 

"I have this day received Shamil's first letter, con- 
taining the conditions on which he will liberate my 
family and that of my sister-in-law. At the same time 
I received an oral communication through Hassan his 
confidential agent; and I regret to say that neither 
Shamil's letter nor Hassan's words afford me the least 
consolation. 

" Shamil's demands surpass anything that could have 
been anticipated. He will, moreover, not negotiate for 
my family separately, but wishes them to be ransomed 
conjointly with a hundred and twenty other captives 
who have been distributed about the country. For the 
liberation of all the prisoners he demands, first, his son 
Djemmal-Eddin; secondly, the nephew of Gramzad ; 
thirdly, the son of the Avarian Alibek, Harasilai ; 
fourthly, the son of Gramzad Shah Islam ; and in addition 
to this, a hundred and sixteen other prisoners, and a 
million of money. Of course such conditions cannot be 
entertained for an instant, and I would not have thought 
of troubling you with them, had you not commanded me 
to forward to you every particular relating to this affair. 

(C To-morrow at daybreak I shall send Hassan with a 
letter to Shamil, stating that his conditions not only can- 
not be complied with, but that, as they now stand, they 
put a stop to all possibility of my negotiating with him. 
I have also repeated to him my former assurance, that 
he will have to treat with me as with a private individual, 
and must not think of the government interfering in the 
matter. Y> T hatever answer I may receive from him, I 



272 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



shall make it my special duty to communicate to your 
Excellency. 

" I am about to visit Shoura, in order to consult with 
Prince Orbeliani. 

" I have the honour to be, &c. 

44 September 11, 1854." 

After his consultation with Prince Orbeliani, Prince 
Chavchavadzey sent off Hassan with a letter to Shamil, 
in which, among other things, he said that it was impos- 
sible for the government to force the Iman's son to 
return to Chechni, inasmuch as Djemmal-Eddin was not 
a prisoner but an officer in the Russian army. He 
went on to say that no one would dare to make such a 
proposition to the Emperor, but that, if Djemmal-Eddin 
himself felt disposed to return to his native country, 
and asked permission to do so, it was probable that it 
would be granted. 

Shamil's letter in reply contained nothing but a re- 
petition of his former demands, which were again met 
by the Prince with positive assurances that they could 
not be complied with. Several letters of the same kind 
respectively on each side were exchanged, until at last 
Prince David sent his servant Oscar to Dargi-Vedenno. 
During Oscar's absence, a letter arrived from Prince 
Bariatinsky (Chief of the Staff of the corps d'armee in 
the Caucasus), marked " private " and stating that Ge- 
neral Eead had communicated Shamil's proposition to 
the Minister of War to be transmitted by him to the 
Emperor. 

" General Read," continued the letter, " also informed 



LETTEB FROM BAEIATXXS&Y, 



273 



the minister that Shamil requested permission to send 
a trustworthy person to converse with his son and ascer- 
tain whether it is his wish to return to his native land, 
adding that, if that should not be his desire, his father 
meant to disown him for ever. As the return of 
Djemmal-Eddin is the first thing stipulated for by 
Shamil, General Eead also stated that it was only in 
case of the Emperor consenting to this that the nego- 
tiations could be carried on at all. 

" To day General Prince Dolgoroukoff has informed 
General Eead that the Emperor considering there is no 
obstacle to the return of Shaniil's son, who is a Cornet 
in the Grand Duke Michael's regiment of Oulans, has 
commanded that Djemmal-Eddin Shamil be asked 
whether he is desirous of receiving his father's envoys 
and hearing what they have to say, or whether he would 
prefer not to have any communication with them ; and 
in either case to state positively for himself what his 
feelings are on the subject. 

H The Minister of War having written to His Im- 
perial Highness the Commander-in-chief of the Guard, 
for the purpose of ascertaining the wishes of Cornet 
Djemmal-Eddin Shamil, will communicate the reply to 
General Eead. 

u I hasten to forward this news for the information of 
yourself and Prince Orbeliani alone ; and have the honour 
to add, that as soon as the answer of Cornet Djemmal- 
Eddin Shamil is received, it shall be instantly com- 
municated to you. 

" Accept the assurance, &c. 

"Tiftis, Nov, 9, 1854." 

T 



274 



CAPIIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



In the meanwhile Oscar had returned from Bargi- 
Vedenno with very bad news. Shamil annoyed at 
Prince Chavchavadzey having dec lined to enter into 
any positive negotiations on the subject of his son's 
return, had threatened to stop the negotiations al- 
together; and to send the captives to the aouls as 
presents to his Xaibs. 

Prince Chavchavadzey had lost no time in writing 
again to General Eead and Prince Bariatinsky, The 
following was his letter to G-eneral Eead. 

" From my first letter you perceived that, in return 
for the liberation of my family from captivity, the 
first thing Shamil demanded was the return of his son. 
Since that time, notwithstanding the numerous letters 
he has received from Prince Orbeliani and myself, in 
which we explain to him how impossible it is to comply 
with his request, our negotiations have not only taken a 
bad turn, but have reached such a point that I have 
lost nearly all hope of ever seeing my family again. 

" My messenger to Dargi-Vedemio, one of my own 
servants, returned to-day with a letter from Shamil, in 
which he says that throughout our negotiations he can 
see nothing but a determination not to apply for the 
return of his son : and therefore, that henceforth there 
need be no further communications between us with 
reference to the liberation of the captives. He threat- 
ens, moreover, in conclusion, that unless a decided answer 
be sent to him forthwith, he will send them as slaves 
to his principal officers. 

" The above is the cause of my addressing to your 



LETTER TO GENERAL BEAD. 



275 



excellency, once more, a humble request ; what I beg 
is, not that you will intercede to have Shamil's son forced 
to return - — a thing which I neither could nor ought to 
desire ; but that you will procure a direct answer to 
Shamil's demand as quickly as possible. Even a 
decided refusal will give me a faint hope that Shamil 
may perhaps be induced to change his conditions; 
but in the absence of a direct reply, it will only 
remain for me to take farewell of my wife and children 
for ever. 

u I remain with sincere respect, &c. 

"Nov. 18, 1854." 

The letter to Prince Bariatinsky wa^ almost in the 
same terms. 

" I need not tell you," concluded the writer, " how- 
much I have been shocked by Shamil's threat. You 
will understand what I must feel at the thought 
of the future that is reserved for my poor family. 
But what is to be done? It seems to be the will 
of Grod; and all I can do is, to study how I can 
support with patience such a fearful trial. I have now 
no special request to make to your Highness ; but leave 
my case entirely in your hands, in the full hope that 
sympathising with my sorrow, you will do all that is 
possible to extricate me from a calamity than which 
none greater can possibly be imagined. 

"Nov. 18, 1854. Shoura." 

These letters were sent off to Tiflis by a soldier be ■ 
longing to Prince Bagration's regiment of Irregular 

T 2 



276 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



Mussulman Cavalry, and Prince Chavchavadzey had the 
satisfaction of hearing in reply that they had been trans- 
mitted to the Minister of War, who would afterwards 
communicate the contents to the Emperor. Prince 
Bariatinsky further informed him that in consequence 
of the new danger which threatened the captives, 
General Eead gave him (Prince Chavchavadzey) per- 
mission to communicate to Shamil the decision of the 
Emperor with respect to Djemmal-Eddin's return. This 
decision had already been made known to Prince Chav- 
chavadzey in Prince Bariatinsky's letter (marked " se- 
cret ") of November 9th, and the latter now ended his 
communication by repeating that when the answer 
of Djemmal-Eddin himself was known it would be im- 
mediately forwarded by a special courier. 

As soon as Prince Chavchavadzey received General 
Bead's permission to communicate the Emperor's deci- 
sion to Shamil, he lost no time in doings so ; and on this 
occasion complied with a wish expressed by the Iman 
that messages should not be sent to him through com- 
mon servants, but that persons in the Government ser- 
vice, who could be regarded as confidential agents, should 
be employed. In accordance with Shamil's desire, Isaac 
Gramoff, a Younker* in the Eussian army, and Prince 
Gregory Orbeliani's ordinary interpreter, was desjDatched 
to Shamil on the 2d of December, while Prince Chavcha- 

* To obtain a commission in the Eussian army it is necessary either 
to have been educated at one of the cadet schools, or to serve for a 
certain time (in the case of a noble two years) as " Younker." A 
Younker is, in fact, an aspirant for a commission, serving in the ranks 
and occasionally acting as ensign. 



A^SWEB OF DJEMMAL-EDDHC. 



277 



vadzey was anxiously awaiting Djemmal-Eddin's reply, 
and doubting whether the educated Eussian officer would 
consent to return to his barbarous native land. 

Fortunately these doubts were soon dispelled by a 
most satisfactory answer from the young Djemmal- 
Eddin, which was communicated to General Read in 
the following letter from the Minister of War. 

"Having just received your letter of November the 
25th from the Feldjager Staal, I hasten to inform you 
that Shamil's son has expressed his wish to return to 
his father without waiting for the men whom Shamil 
had proposed to send for the purpose of having an in- 
terview with him. Accordingly I have, by His Ma- 
jesty's command, given directions for his recall from the 
kingdom of Poland, where the regiment in which he 
serves is at present stationed, and as soon as he arrives 
I shall instruct him to proceed to you. The delay 
which has occurred in obtaining his answer about re- 
turning to the Caucasus has arisen solely from the 
necessity of communicating with his superior officer, 
and from the great distance at which the regiment is 
stationed. Accept the assurance, &c. 

"Dec. 4, 1854." 

After receiving this joyful intelligence, Prince Chav- 
chavadzey lost no time in communicating it to Shamil, 
and there was now a clear possibility of bringing the 
negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion. 

t 3 



278 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS, 



CHAP. II. 

The energy and skill with which the Younker Isaac 
Gramoff conducted the negotiations for the liberation 
of the Princesses entitle him to their everlasting grati- 
tude. Prince Chavchavadzey could scarcely have met 
with a man better qualified to act as his confidential 
agent in so delicate and difficult a matter, and as 
Grramoff henceforth takes a prominent part in the events 
we are relating, it may be as well before proceeding 
further to say a few words about his history up to the 
period of his first expedition to Dargi-Vedenno. 

Isaac Grramoff was born in the little town of Shoushi, 
and is an Armenian by religion* and by descent. He 
is a type of those natives of the provinces beyond the 
Caucasus, who, to the quick perceptions of the inhabit- 
ants of the South, and a readiness and self-dependence 
of character which is developed at an early age by the 
warlike scenes that perpetually surround them, have 
united habits of order and discipline acquired in the 
Russian service. Such men indeed form valuable officers, 
and are especially useful in communicating between the 
superior authorities and the local governors, or the chiefs 
of the disobedient tribes. Possessing to a nicety a know- 

* The Armenians belong to the Western Church. 



THE RUSSIAN TRANS-CAUCASIANS. 



279 



ledge not only of their languages, but also of all their 
manners and customs, they form the best possible inter- 
mediaries between the Government and the varied popu- 
lations of the Caucasus and Trans-Caucasia ; and when, 
in addition to this, they distinguish themselves by their 
loyalty, it is almost impossible to estimate their services 
too highly. 

The exterior of men of this class at once points to the 
circumstances which have contributed to the formation 
of their mental and moral character. With a dignity of 
deportment which is quite Asiatic, they have at the same 
time a quick, penetrating glance, and a laconic style of 
conversation, in which every thought appears to have 
been at once and finally cast in the most appropriate form 
of words. These characteristics are evidently the result 
of their constant intercourse with the Eastern nations, 
to whom they also owe their usual costume ; they have 
at the same time acquired a certain ease of manner 
from the Eussians, and have gained habits of order, punc- 
tuality, and respect for their superiors in the Government 
service. 

Of these Trans-Caucasians in the service of Eussia, 
Isaac Grramoff is a worthy representative, and it will be 
understood from the special qualifications of such a man 
that whatever he has to say on the subject of Shamil 
and the mountaineers is entitled to particular attention. 
Being half a mountaineer himself, and speaking the 
Tartar language with fluency and correctness, he was 
able to understand all that took place around him, and, 
accordingly, his testimony possesses a value to which no 
previous accounts can lay claim. 



280 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



To complete the portrait of Gramoff, we must add 
that lie was thirty-two years of age, and that he had 
received his early education in the school of the Ger- 
man colony at Shoushi, where, besides German, he was 
taught Eussian, which he speaks equally well with the 
Armenian and Tartar languages. He left the German 
school before he had completed his studies, but conti- 
nued them in the Government service, which he entered 
as an interpreter, in the Department of the Governor 
of Shoushi. He was afterwards attached in the same 
capacity to Prince Gregory Orbeliani, and the personal 
regard he entertained for that officer caused him to 
offer his sendees directly he heard that the Prince was 
in search of a volunteer to proceed to Dargi-Vedenno. 

But it is now time to follow him to Shamil. 

GramofF, as has been already said, started from the 
village of Andreiva on the 2nd of December, and was 
accompanied by Mohammed, who had already carried 
messages to Dargi-Vedenno. In addition to several 
letters to the captives, the emissaries took with them 
clothes and other things which the Princesses were 
likely to require. 

They proceeded first of all to Bourtounai, an aoul 
belonging to the tribes of Salataou, with whom the Eus- 
sians are at war. Here they found a letter from Shamil, 
which had been entrusted to the Naib Mourtesa-Ali. 
The letter was as follows : — 

P I have had a dream, in which I saw Prince Orbe- 
liani's interpreter coming to me with good news from 
my son. My eyes are on his progress." 

Gramoff was astonished to find how well Shamil was 



KEK-EFFEXDI THE INSEPARABLE. 



28! 



served by his spies ; and, accompanied by two native 
guides, proceeded through Salataou to Derhek-Otar, 
where the Iman pitched his camp while he was engaged 
in his expedition against Baron Nicolai. 

On the fourth day of his journey, at ten in the morn- 
ing, Grramoff arrived at the camp ; but, before entering 
Shamil's presence, wrote to inquire how he was to pre- 
sent himself to him. 

He was told, in reply, to appear in the Eussian 
uniform. 

In consequence of this, Grramoff set off at once to 
Shamil's tent, but was not allowed to enter until he had 
been disarmed. When he was admitted, he saw Shamil 
sitting immediately opposite him, with Daniel-Sultan 
on his right hand, and Ker-Effendi — a half-blind old 
man, who never leaves Shamil, even at night, when he 
is on a campaign — on his left. Next to Ker-Effendi 
was the veteran Djemmal-Eddin, with whom the reader 
is already acquainted. The persons by whom Shamil 
was now surrounded were his most intimate councillors, 
although it is reported that Daniel-Sultan only owes his 
position to his relationship, and that the Iman in reality 
puts but little confidence in him. 

Several Naibs, among whom was Shamil's son Kazi- 
Machmat, were standing at a distance from the others. 

Grramoff bowed, and without saying a word gave 
Shamil a letter from Prince Orbeliani. This letter con- 
tained a strong recommendation of Grramoff as a trust- 
worthy person, and the writer ended by congratulating 
Shamil on the Emperor having granted his son permis- 
sion to return. 



282 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Having taken the letter and made himself acquainted 
with its contents (through his own interpreter) Shamil 
invited Grramoff to take a seat, and inquired after the 
health of Prince Chavchavadzey and Prince Orbeliani. 

" Thank heaven, they are quite well/' replied Grramoff ; 
" and they are much obliged to you for your at- 
tention to the captives. We are human like your- 
selves, and can appreciate kindness ; and if not, at all 
events, Grod will reward you." 

At these words Daniel-Sultan smiled as if he perceived 
a double meaning *, but Shamil appeared pleased. He 
ordered Grramoff 's sword to be returned to him, and was 
very angry with the sentinels who had disarmed so 
agreeable a man. Then, turning to Grramoff, he added, — 

"I am grateful for the confidence reposed in me. * 
This is the first time a message has been sent to me by 
a Eussian officer, and I consider myself fortunate in 
receiving him." 

Grramoff replied to each compliment by another, 
knowing this to be a necessity in commencing conversa- 
tion with a Mussulman. 

" Will my son return to me ? " asked Shamil, at 
last. 

" Though your son has become half a Eussian," replied 
Gramoff, " yet, if he inherits your large views he will 

* Afterwards Daniel- Sultan, in a private conversation with Gramoff, 
expressed his regret for what the family of Prince Chavchavadzey had 
suffered. " I would rather have suffered anything," he said, " than have 
'^started on that expedition if I had known what was to be the fate of the 
captives. The incursion into Kahetia was commanded by Kazi Machmat 
(who never crossed the Alazan), Daniel-Sultan, and a Naib named 
Kair-Bek, who was soon afterwards killed. 



THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL. 



283 



certainly return ; for it is better to command thousands 
here than hundreds in Russia." 

Shamil turned to Daniel-Sultan with a smile, and 
said; — 

" What do you think of him ? I think he is indeed 
Prince Orbeliani's interpreter !" 

Then taking a repeater from beneath his cloak, he 
made it strike, and finding it was half past twelve, 
continued, — 

K However, it is now time for me to go to prayers." 

The nearest moulla screamed out the call to prayer, 
and the audience was at an end. 

Grramoff was taken to a separate room. 

When prayers were over Ker-Effendi came to Grramoff, 
and, after an infinity of compliments, asked him how 
the siege of Sebastopol was going on. Grramoff an- 
swered that from the news which had reached him at 
Shoura, it appeared that the winter was making great 
havoc in the lines of the English and French. 

The next day Shamil sent the first thing in the 
morning to inquire after CrramofFs health, and towards 
five o'clock the visitor was supplied with a large bowl of 
calmuck or brick tea*, containing about twelve glasses, 
which it was necessary to drink to the last drop in order 
to give no offence to the host. 

The attendants, who were richly and elegantly dressed, 
brought Gramoff his breakfast, dinner, and supper, 

* Tea-leaves made into a sort of compote with sheep's blood, and after- 
wards cut into brick-like forms. This tea is consumed in large quantities 
bv the Siberian tribes, and the bricks frequently take the place of money 
in commercial transactions. 



284 



CAPTIVITY IX THE CAUCASUS* 



to his room, but he spent his evenings with Shaniil, and 
usually talked with him for some time alone. The conver- 
sation turned upon subjects of no great interest ; Shamil 
indulged in pleasantry, or inquired about some well- 
known Russian general ; but never spoke of the libera- 
tion of the captives. At last, when GrramofF had been 
three days with the Iman, the latter announced that 
he was going the next morning to Dargi-Vedenno, and 
would then settle about the exchange of the captives. 

On the following day, Shamil rose between four and 
live, and in accordance with his expressed intention, 
started for Dargi-Vedenno. As he was setting off, the 
sound of artillery was heard. The firing was rapid and 
not far distant, and it appeared that his chief corps 
was engaged with the detachment under General 
"Wrangel, by whom it is known to have been completely 
routed. Indeed, the sudden return of Shamil to Dargi- 
Vedenno, was a sign of the failure of the expedition, 
and was nothing more than a retreat in good time from 
the danger which threatened him. But the Iman did 
not evince the slightest annoyance or anxiety. He joked 
with Grramoff, who was riding by his side, and shortly 
afterwards, Hassan began to shout forth the sacred chant, 
Lia-illiaha-il- Allah* , which was taken up by the whole 

* Shamil is accompanied in all his expeditions by two hundred chosen 
Avarians, who are generally veterans. Their arms and equipments are 
excellent, and they cany their own particular flag. A hundred of 
them ride before and a hundred behind Shamil. Each party advances 
in five rows, and the chant from the Koran is sung perpetually first by 
the advanced guard then by the rear, and so on alternately. Daniel- 
Sultan always rides on Shamil's right, this being a special favour which 
is never granted to any one else. 



SHAMIL IN ACTION. 



285 



of the Murids. They advanced in this manner for three 
versts, when the sound of artillery became louder, and 
the discharges more frequent. Shamil paused for a few 
moments, listened attentively, and then continued his 
journey with all his former composure. He concealed 
what was passing in his mind with great skill ; at one 
time by means of pleasantry, at another simply by 
falsehood. Grramoff had the opportunity of seeing both 
these methods put into practice. 

"Isai-Bek*," said Shamil, as if for the purpose of 
iverting his attention from the subject of which he was 
really thinking, " you see that horse, with a couple of 
bags swung across its back ? " 

Grramoff answered in the affirmative. 

" That is the way to go out on a campaign," continued 
Shamil ; " that is the whole of my baggage. It con- 
tains all I require on a march, and yet I am an Iman, 
and command a large body of troops. With you, every 
ensign carries more. That is why your columns are so 
long ; and you will agree with me, that long, straggling 
columns are not very desirable on a march." 

Grramoff answered only with a smile. Having gone 
on about another verst, Shamil's further progress was 
stopped by the arrival of a messenger, who with several 
other mountaineers came galloping towards him from 
the direction in which the sound of artillery was still 
heard, though the firing had now slackened considerably. 
The messenger gave Shamil a despatch from Eski-Xaib, 
written on a small, dirty piece of paper. The Iman 
read it, congratulated those around him on the victory 
* Isaac, with the addition of a complimentary term. 



286 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



that had just been gained over the Russians, and taking 
off his skashka, said to the mountaineer who had 
brought the news, — 

" Thank Eski-Naib, and give him this sabre in token 
of my great satisfaction." 

Gramoff did not believe in the victory which the 
mountaineers pretended to have gained over the Russian 
detachment : but, while he continued to observe Shamil 
as closely as possible, he was unable to understand how a 
man could have such command over himself, as not in 
any way to give the slightest sign of discomposure. 

But the deception could not last very long. After 
the messenger had returned to Eski-Naib, Gramoff re- 
mained some distance behind Shamil, and joined the 
rear of his body-guard. Here he found several moun- 
taineers, who had come from the scene of action since 
the messenger. They were telling the Murids the real 
state of the case, and Gramoff ascertained that Eski- 
Naib's force had been completely routed by the Russians. 
Another proof that the mountaineers had been defeated 
was given immediately afterwards by Shamil himself, 
who halted his escort, and turning to Gramoff, said, — 

" Now, Isai-Bek, you must go on to Vedenno, and I 
will return to my troops." 

" Allow me to remain with you ? " answered Gramoff. 

" No ; you have nothing to do with us. You will not 
fight your own men, and you will have no chance of at- 
tacking ours. No. I will not allow it. If the engage- 
ment should recommence ; and you should be wounded, 
it would be upon my conscience; therefore you had better 
start for Vedenno, where you may expect me soon." 



GrEAMOFF AT VEDENNO. 



287 



Shamil and his Muriels now retraced their steps ; and 
Gramoff set off with his conductors to Dargi- Vedenno, 
which was at about twenty versts distance. About four 
versts from the place he was met by a party of Murids 
who had remained in Vedenno, and now came out to re- 
ceive him with honours. It was a remarkable fact that 
among these Murids there was not one young man. All 
the youth of the army had joined the expedition. 
Nevertheless the meeting did not pass without the 
usual firing and djigitovki*, by which the mountaineers 
express their joy when any happy event has taken place. 
The Murids were led by Hadjio, ShamiPs steward, with 
whom the reader is already acquainted. 

In the environs of Vedenno, Gramoff noticed nothing 
very striking ; but of Yedenno itself, he preserved the 
following impression. 

The aoul in which Shamil resides, like all the aoids 
of Chechni, is spread over a considerable space and, like 
the various stanitzi] of the Cossacks in the Caucasus, is 
surrounded by a moat and a palisade of branches. The 
buildings are all of wood ; in which respect they differ 
from those of the Daghestan and Avaria, where the 
houses are built of stone upon rocky foundations. In the 
latter provinces, moreover, the houses are grouped to- 
gether ; whereas in Chechni a village which consists of 
only a hundred houses will be three or four versts long, 
owing to the fact that each house is surrounded by a 
garden or ploughed field. 

In the middle of Vedenno Grramoff found a palisade 

* The djigitovki are the fantasias of the mountain cavalry, 
f The stanitza is the Cossack intrenched camp. 



288 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



enclosing a space upwards of five hundred yards in 
length and nearly three hundred in breadth. This was 
the outer court of Shamil's seraglio. The inner court, 
that is to say the seraglio itself, is in the centre, and is 
the residence of Shamil's family, his servants and his 
visitors, among whom Kazi-Machmat, his second son, is 
classed. This son is the Naib of Karaty, with authority 
over the districts of seven inferior Naibs. 

In the outer court Gramoff found accommodation for 
about two hundred of Shamil's escort of Murids, who 
form the flower of the army and are usually selected 
from the Avarian villages — at least half of the number 
being distinguished veterans in cavalry warfare. Here 
also was a small shed containing arms which were 
apparently too old for use. While living with the 
steward Hadjio, in whose house he spent several days, 
Grramoff obtained much information respecting the 
mountaineers. Thus, for instance, he learned that at 
Vedenno, besides the regular army, there were three 
hundred and forty foreigners, principally Poles, and 
about four hundred native civilians. Shamil's Murids 
not only act as his escort, but at the same time keep 
watch over him on their own account. They never leave 
him. Even to the Mosque, he is attended by this doubly- 
significant guard; and however much he might desire it 
he could never free himself from his faithful attendants. 
He visits the Mosque every Friday, and on these occa- 
sions the Murids form a double line from the seraglio to 
the steps of the sacred building, and sing the Lia- 
iUiah-il-AUah. When he has entered the Mosque the 
Murids follow him, and remain in silence around him, 



GEAMOFF AND THE COUNCIL. 



289 



while he is saying his prayers, which, however, seldom 
last more than an hour. 

As a curious proof of the awe with which Shamil in- 
spires his people, Grramoff mentions that the inhabitants 
of Vedenno, in their ordinary conversation, swear and 
curse by his name and health. Unfortunately the in- 
terpreter made but a short stay at Shamil's head- 
quarters ; otherwise, his observations respecting a place 
involved in so much mystery would doubtless have been 
far more complete, and therefore far more interesting. 

But to return to the incidents of the story, Grramoff 
had only been one day in Hadjio's house, when Shamil 
and Daniel-Sultan returned from their expedition. 
Hadjio went to see them and came back with the in- 
formation that Shamil would receive no strangers, and 
that he had already retired to his bed-room. 

The following day, at about six in the morning, Shamil 
sent to inquire after Grramoff 's health, and at ten re- 
quested to see him. 

Gram off went to the seraglio and visited the Iman in 
his private cabinet. Here a solemn conclave was as- 
sembled. Shamil was sitting at the end of the room. 
On his right was Daniel-Sultan, and on his left Ker- 
Effendi. The late Naib of Andi, Moortoul-Ali and 
Shamil's interpreter, Shah- Abbas (whom Grramoff dis- 
covered to be an Armenian by birth, though he had 
long since adopted the religion of his captors), also 
occupied places of honour; and the council was com- 
pleted by twenty Murids, who sat along the wall in a 
row. 

u 



290 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Grramoff bowed to all present, and took up his position 
standing, near the door. 

" Are you well, Isai-Bek ? " said Shamil with a pleasant 
smile. 

" Thank heaven, and through your kindness, I am 
well," replied Grramoff, with respect. 

" Sit down," said Shamil, pointing to a place on the 
carpet opposite himself. 

Grramoff took his seat, folded his legs, and after a 
short silence, Shamil said with another smile, — 

w Isai-Bek, what do you think of Daghestan ? " 

" In what respect, Iman ? " 

€i What do you think of our roads, of your reception, 
and of such customs as you have been able to notice 
during your hasty journey ? " 

" Will you allow me to speak candidly, Iman ? * 

" Certainly. One should speak the truth before man 
as before Grod." 

" If so, I must say that your roads are very bad, and 
very dirty. Travelling is also rendered very difficult in 
your country, by the numerous woods, rivers, and defiles. 
I advanced at the rate of about ten versts * a day, and 
really cannot say anything favourable of my journey. 
As for your hospitality, that is everything that could 
be desired." 

"I am pleased to hear you speak as you do. Now 
you understand how the powerful Tsar, who will not 
submit to three kings, can do nothing with me, though 
he never ceases to send his armies against me. I 



* Less than seven miles. 



shamil's defences. 



291 



do not venture to compare myself to these powerful 
sovereigns. I am Shamil^ a common Tartar, but my 
bad roads, my woods and my defiles, make me much 
stronger than a great many monarchs. I ought to 
anoint all my trees with oil, and to mix the mud of 
my roads with fragrant honey." Having terminated 
this long speech, Shamil turned round with a smile 
which was returned by all present. Then changing the 
expression of his face, he said to Grramoff, — 

" Isai-Bek, great personages always begin their conver- 
sations with pleasantry, and afterwards come to import- 
ant matters. We have been following this system with 
you. At present we will talk of business." 

Grramoff understood that the Iman had probably 
wished merely to give him confidence, and that now all 
his amiable phrases had come to an end, and he was 
about to assume a severe tone. He therefore answered 
with increased respect, — 

" Speak, and I will answer, Iman." 

" Well, then, are Prince Chavchavadzey and Prince 
Orbeliani trifling with me or not ? " said Shamil, in a 
voice and with an expression in which not the slightest 
trace of pleasantry was perceptible. 

Grramoff remained silent, and all the mountaineers 
looked like personifications of attention. Shamil con- 
tinued as follows : — 

"At first I demanded five million roubles for the 

liberation of their families. Then I took pity on them, 

and asked one million, a hundred and fifty prisoners and 

my son Djemmal-Eddin. But until now they have done 

nothing but feed me with sweet letters. I am astonished 

u 2 



292 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



they can write so much, when it would be so much better 
to write less and do more. That Prince Orbeliani annoys 
me especially. I think I could kill him, if he fell into 
my hands. . . . But of course he would do the same 
with me; we are enemies." 

As he said this, Shamil knitted his brows, and his 
eyes assumed an expression of great ferocity, instead of 
being half closed as they generally are. 

After a short silence, Gramoff said persuasively, but 
at the same time with dignity, 

" Iman, if you will allow me, I will answer you." 

u Well, tell me what you are commissioned to say." 

" It is the same thing to Prince Chavchavadzev and 
Prince Orbeliani whether you require five millions 
or only one. Such sums as you demand are only pos- 
sessed by kings ; but I can confirm their promise that 
you shall have forty thousand roubles silver ; and how 
that amount was collected Heaven only knows." 

Shamil listened attentively to GramofF, but made no 
reply. 

" There is Daniel-Sultan," pursued the emissary, " he 
knows what fortunes the Georgian princes possess. Ask 
him whether there is one of the number who, after sell- 
ing the whole of his property, could realise a million." 

Daniel-Sultan confirmed the truth of what Gramoff 
had been saying, and added, — 

" I am only astonished that they were able to get 
forty thousand." 

Here the Naibs began to talk among: themselves. 
They expressed their distrust of GramofPs words ; and 
one of them at length spoke as follows i — - 



WHAT IS A MILLION? 



293 



% Isai-Bek, what you say is not correct. How can it 
be difficult for you Eussians to pay such a sum as one 
million ? If our Iman required it he could have an arba 
full of silver." 

"But what I offer to you would fill two arbas, 
and even two would not suffice to carry the sum along 
your bad roads/' replied Grramoff, who had calculated 
that two of the Chechnian arbas would not hold more 
than thirty thousand silver roubles. 

The jSTaibs with one voice expressed their doubts. 
Grramoff was quite certain that none of them understood 
what a million signified, and thought it best to attempt 
an explanation. 

" You do not understand/' he observed, " what we 
call a million ; so, by way of giving you an example let 
me tell you that if you had a million beans, or grains 
of corn given you to count, and not only one but all of 
you were engaged in counting them, — then, if you were 
not allowed to eat until you had finished your task, you 
would all die of hunger." 

The Naibs appeared much astonished. Grramoffs 
illustration had evidently produced its effect. 

"Is it possible it can be so much ? 79 they asked, with 
a look of ignorant innocence. 

Here, however, Shah- Abbas joined in the conversation 
and nearly spoiled everything. Grramoff at once saw 
that this man could be very useful or very injurious, 
according to the part he took in the discussion. He 
accordingly resolved to ingratiate himself with Shamil's 
interpreter as speedily as possible ; and, in fact, did so 
that very evening by presenting him with a watch, two 

U 3 



294 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



half-imperials, and a pound of tea.* But in the mean- 
time, in order to give him no opportunity of interfering 
with the negotiations, he turned to Shamil and said : 

" Iman, allow me to ask one favour of you." 

" What is it?" replied Shamil, drily. 

" Order everyone to be silent ; otherwise I shall not 
be able to explain myself." 

Shamil, addressing all present, commanded that 
Grramoff should be allowed to speak without interrup- 
tion. Then turning to the emissary, he added, — 

" They will now be silent, but what is to be done ? " 

c< The persons I represent positively cannot give more 
than forty-thousand roubles. Your son will be at liberty 
to rejoin you, and you will have as many of your 
prisoners as can be collected. If your son does not 
come to you of his own accord, you can send confidential 
agents to him to persuade him to do so." 

" My dear Isai-Bek, I do not care so much for my 
son as for the good of my people. I have not seen my 
son for sixteen years and have become accustomed to 
live without him. No, give me the million. Prince 
Chavchavadzey while defending the post entrusted to 
him was deprived of his family. The Emperor ought 
to give him a reward. Let him demand it." 

" Iman, no one presumes to demand anything of our 
Emperor. With regard to your son, it was the Emperor 
himself who offered to let him return. Prince Chav- 
chavadzey never could have expected such a favour. 

* Gramoff found that almost all the persons attached to Shamil's 
person were eager for bribes. Accordingly he was lavish of his presents, 
which generally consisted of cloth, jewellery, or money. 



A FALSE INTEEPKETER. 



295 



As for the bravery and distinction of Prince Chav- 
chavadzey, the Emperor has many such men among 
his subjects, and he cannot give each of them a million." 

" Well, we will talk about it afterwards/' said Shamil. 
" It is now time for me to go to prayers." 

" Iman," replied Grramoff, " I should like to converse 
with you alone." 

" Well, well ; but at present we must separate, and 
Grod be with you !" 

Grramoff went away and remained, until the evening, 
in his own apartment, where no one disturbed him. 
He was magnificently entertained, and even had salt 
given him with his meals ; a mark of attention which, 
among the Chechnians, denotes especial respect. 

In the evening he was visited by Shah-Abbas and 
several persons whom he had seen in the morning in 
Shamil's cabinet. Shah- Abbas conversed with Grramoff 
in Armenian, and, after accepting his presents, assured 
him of his earnest co-operation. From this time, too, 
Shamil's interpreter became very attentive to the 
Princesses, who attributed his conduct merely to the 
goodness of his heart, though it may now be accounted 
for in another manner. 

The next day Grramoff saw nothing of Shamil ; but, 
the day after he had another interview with him, 
when the Iman was surrounded by the same persons as 
before. 

" Sit down, Isai-Bek," said Shamil to Grramoff. 
" Allow me to stand," replied the latter, " my legs are 
tired from sitting." 

U 4 



296 



CAPTIYITT IN THE CAUCASUS. 



" As you like/' continued Shamil. " Are you quite 
well?" 

" Thank Heaven I am well." 

" God give you continued health ! Now would you 
not like to make the Princesses happy ? " 

" That depends upon your kindness." 

" Listen then to what I have to tell you. The Prin- 
cesses live well with me, so that not even a bird sees them. 
I behave to them in accordance with the laws of the 
Shariat, and moreover I wish to receive a good ransom. 
Prince Orbeliani and Prince Chavchavadzey ought 
to think themselves fortunate, and yet they offer so 
little money. They seem to be laughing at me. And 
now they have commenced attacking me, I fancy they 
wish to reach Vedenno, and take as many prisoners as 
possible, in order to exchange them for the Princesses." 

" Iman, I can say nothing about that in the presence 
of other persons, but I repeat my request to be allowed 
to talk with you alone." 

" Very well, you shall do so afterwards," replied Shamil, 
evidently unwilling to dismiss those who were around 
him. Grramoff then returned to his own apartment. 

The next day Grramoff had the secret interview with 
Shamil, for which he had been so anxious. It took 
place at rather a late hour, and it was evident that 
Shamil was himself anxious for a private explanation, 
though he was at the same time afraid of his principal 
officers, who were constantly watching him. 

During the interview the following conversation took 
place. 



THE SINEWS OF "WAR. 



297 



" Even if the Princes possessed a million, they would 
not part with such an enormous sum," said Gramoff, 
with a confidential air. 

"Why not?" asked Shamil thoughtfully. 

" Because the Emperor would not allow them to in- 
crease your means of carrying on war to such a consider- 
able extent. And, besides that, the Princes are very 
proud, and will not consent to bargain ; but what they 
have once promised, they will be certain to give. Will 
you allow me to speak frankly?" 

« Speak." 

" In your place, then, I would be contented with the 
glory of the affair. Will it be a small thing to boast of, 
that you, as it were by force of arms, compelled 
the Eussians to restore you that son whom you had pre- 
viously given up to them as a hostage ? The whole of 
Europe will hear of it, and it will be printed in all 
the newspapers that you have gained a triumph over the 
Eussians." 

" But it would be as well to receive the money also," 
said Shamil, with a smile. 

" Believe me, Iman, I am not deceiving you in the 
least. Certainly, I am acting in the interest of Prince 
Orbeliani, because I am much indebted to him and love 
him sincerely, but at the same time I should like to 
render you a service by bringing this affair to a conclu- 
sion. I may have need of a similar favour from you 
some day, who knows ? I may become your prisoner 
myself, and then you will remember my services, and 
have mercy upon me." 



298 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Shamil bent his head down and began to meditate. 
Then he sighed, and turning to Grramoff, said in an 
abrupt manner, — 

"Very well, by to-morrow evening I shall try to 
have finished everything with the people. You know 
that without them I can do nothing; but after to- 
morrow I shall be able to send you away with a 
positive answer." 

Grramoff went away, but about nine o'clock the next 
morning, he was again summoned to Shamil's presence, 
who on this occasion w T as surrounded by a number of 
his chief-councillors. 

As Grramoff entered, Shamil turned hastily to him, and 
said : — 

" Isai-Bek, I wish to congratulate you. Here sits 
my letter-writer, and I am preparing to send to Prince 
Orbeliani." 

Grramoff looked round, and saw the writer, before 
whom lay a quarter of a sheet of common grey paper. 
Shamil continued : — 

" Money is grass. It withers and is gone. We do not 
serve money, but Gk>d." 

At these words Grramoff saw the greatest attention 
depicted on every countenance. 

" But I shall not write a great deal ; it is only you 
who write so much. You can inform Prince Orbeliani 
yourself of all it is necessary for him to know, and I will 
write to him in a few lines. Grod is merciful, and my 
son will come back to me, and therefore I shall let the 
Princesses go." 

Grramoff retired, but had soon to return, in order to 



gbamoff's return. 



299 



receive Prince Orbeliani's letter. He at the same time 
took charge of a letter from the captives to Prince 
Chavchavadzey, which Shamil had already caused to 
be read to him. Shamil told Grramoff to put both 
these letters into one envelope, and then to seal it in 
his presence. He desired him at the same time to go 
and meet Djemmal-Eddin, and said in conclusion : — 

" See that my son is not surrounded by ill-intentioned 
persons, who may advise him not to return to me. 
Serve me in this matter, and let purity guide you in all 
your actions, and then you will be rewarded by me. 
Farewell." 

These were Shamil's last words before Grramoff's de- 
parture. 

The clever Armenian, as he bowed to the Iman, was 
not sparing in his oriental compliments, and the two 
diplomatists separated, mutually pleased. 

About half an hour afterwards Grramoff attended by 
an escort rode out of Vedenno in the midst of much 
firing of guns, and on the 30th of December arrived 
safely in Temir-Han-Shoura. From Shoura he set off, 
in company with Prince Chavchavadzey, for Hassaf- 
Yourt, and thence to Vladi-Kavkas. After returning to 
Hassaf-Yourt he was engaged for three weeks in nego- 
tiations with Shamil's messengers, who were constantly 
arriving. 



300 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. III. 

On arriving at Shoura Grramoff found Prince Chav- 
chavadzey and Prince Orbeliani waiting for him. They 
were much comforted by the news that Shamil con- 
sented to the exchange of the Princesses on the terms 
proposed; and, as it was now decided that Djenxmal- 
Eddin was to return forthwith to his father, there 
was no longer any difficulty about corresponding 
with them. Nevertheless, until after the 2nd of Fe- 
bruary nothing more was said about the liberation 
on either side. On that day, however, Prince Chav- 
chavadzey received a letter from Baron JNicolai, in- 
forming him that Cornet Djemmal-Eddin had arrived 
at Stavropol, where, after awaiting the arrival of Gene- 
ral Mouravieff, the new commander-in-chief and go- 
vernor of the Caucasus, he had received orders to pro- 
ceed to Vladi-Kavkas. This news was very acceptable, 
as Prince Chavchavadzey had hitherto only heard of 
Djemmal-Eddin' s departure from St. Petersburgh on 
the 4th of January. 

On the 4th of February Prince Chavchavadzey, ac- 
companied by Grramoff, set off for Hassaff-Yourt, and 
arrived there on the following day. Here, immediately 
after his arrival, he received a letter from Yedenno. 
The writer was the Princess Anne, who informed her 



MOURAVIEFF IN THE CAUCASUS, 



301 



husband that Shamil, having heard of his son's arrival 
at Vladi-Kavkas, requested that he might be sent as 
speedily as possible to Hassaff-Yourt, so that the affair 
might be brought to an end without further delay. 
The Prince heard, at the same time, that General 
Mouravieff had set off from Stavropol for the fort of 
Narchik, and that he would not arrive in Vladi-Kavkas 
before the 11th. 

These circumstances induced the Prince to set off 
to Yladi-Kavkas, that he might have the honour of 
presenting himself to the Commander-in-chief, and, at 
the same time, request his permission to accompany 
Djemmal-Eddin to Hassaff-Yourt. 

On the 9th of February the Prince started with 
Grramoff from Hassaff-Yourt, and on the 11th found 
the Commander-in-chief in the Stanitza of Ardon, where 
he was presented to him. Following the steps of the 
General, Prince David arrived the same day at Vladi- 
Kavkas, where he submitted to him the proposition 
respecting Djemmal-Eddin, who had hitherto been 
imder the charge of Lieutenant-Greneral Baron Wrangel, 
the commander of the left flank of the Caucasian line. 
General Mouravieff complied with the Prince's request, 
and on the 13th entrusted Djemmal-Eddin to his care. 

On the 15th Prince Chavchavadzey, Djemmal-Eddin, 
and Grramoff took their departure for Hassaff-Yourt. 

It is easy to imagine the joy of Prince Chavchavadzey 
when he found that he had at length at his disposal all 
that was necessary to secure the return of those he 
loved best. He was ignorant that fresh difficulties and 
fresh trials awaited him. 



302 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS. 



Sitting in the same carriage with the cause of his 
family's liberation, the Prince felt all the happiness of 
a man whose sufferings were drawing rapidly to a close ; 
and with his mind now relieved of the burden which 
had so long oppressed it, he occupied himself entirely 
in studying his interesting companion. They had be- 
come thoroughly acquainted before they reached the 
end of their journey, and their intimacy continued 
at Hassaff-Yourt, where they lived for three weeks in 
the same room. 

Djemmal-Eddin is only a year older than his brother 
Kazi-Machmat. He appears to be twenty-two or twenty- 
three years of age, is about the middle height, well- 
formed, slim, and graceful. His countenance expresses 
intelligence, benevolence, liveliness, and energy, — qua- 
lities which were, moreover, remarked in him by all 
who associated with him at Hassaff-Yourt. His features 
are very like those of Kazi-Machmat. 

Djemmal-Eddin commenced and finished his educa- 
tion at one of the cadet corps (Kadetsky Corpus) of 
St. Petersburgh. He pursued his studies with much 
success, came out as an officer, and joined the escort of 
His Imperial Majesty. He was afterwards transferred 
to the Grand Duke Michael's regiment of Oulans. 

In one of his conversations with Prince Chavcha- 
vadzey, Djemmal-Eddin said that he had always desired 
to serve on the staff, and that he had, in fact, been get- 
ting up his examination in order to enter the military 
academy with that view, when recent events caused him 
to abandon his intention. He had preserved his father's 
religion, but had forgotten the Tartar language, and 



DJTEMMAL-EBBnr. 



303 



could only with great difficulty make out a few words. 
On the other hand, he understands Eussian thoroughly, 
and has a sufficient acquaintance with French, which 
he reads with ease. He has a great desire to continue 
his studies, and seemed afraid that in the wildness of his 
native land he should forget what he had already ac- 
quired. In order to avoid this as much as possible, he 
had brought with from St. Petersburgh a large collection 
of books, atlases, paper, drawing materials, and paints. 
Prince Chavchavadzey declared that he had never seen 
a Mussulman who had so little of the Tartar about him, 
who was so thoroughly Europeanised, and had such 
Russian views, feelings and habits, as Djemmal-Eddin. 
But what the Prince admired above all was the manner in 
which the young man suppressed his real feelings (which 
could not have been otherwise than sad), and at the same 
time abstained throughout from appearing in the in- 
teresting character of a deliverer. Nevertheless his coun- 
tenance betrayed at times his inward sorrow, and twice, 
but only twice, when alone with Prince Chavchavadzey, 
he spoke of what was weighing so heavily on his mind. 

" I have got so accustomed to all that is Russian," he 
said to the Prince, " and so unaccustomed to all that is 
native, and I have moreover been so well treated in 
Russia, that I certainly would have remained there were 
it not for my duty as a son. What would have been 
said of me, if to the Emperor's permission to return I 
had replied by a refusal ? " 

On the second occasion, Djemmal-Eddin, after con- 
siderable hesitation, addressed the Prince as follows : — 

" How strange is a man's fate ! I was only six years old 



304 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



when I was taken from the half savage aoul of Ahoulgo 
to receive a human "understanding and education ; and 
at the very moment when I am beginning to appreciate 
the advantages of study, and am ready with all my 
heart and soul to apply myself to it, fate throws me 
again into the midst of ignorance, where I shall pro- 
bably forget all I have learned, and go backwards like a 
crab." 

In all these remarks Djemmal-Eddin showed not 
only that he was a man of intelligence, but that he 
possessed a grateful heart, which he also proved on a 
subsequent occasion. 

In the early part of March, after the negotiations for 
the liberation of the captives had been finally concluded, 
news arrived at Hassaff-Yourt of the death of the Em- 
peror Nicolas. Djemmal-Eddin was deeply affected 
by the intelligence, and when all the officers at Hassaff- 
Yourt went to the great square to take the oath of 
allegiance to the present Emperor, Djemmal-Eddin ac- 
companied them, and after the proclamation had been 
read, held up his hand of his own free will. This may 
have been merely the action of an impulsive young 
man; but on other occasions, and whenever he mentioned 
the subject, he always spoke in the most grateful manner 
of the kindness of his late Majesty. 

On the 17th of February Prince Chavchavadzey, 
Djemmal-Eddin, and Gramoff reached Hassaff-Yourt; 
and on the following day the messenger, Mahomed, 
was sent to tell Shamil that his son had arrived, and to 
desire him to send some one to terminate the nego- 
tiations. Mahomed returned on the 20th February, 



THE RECOGNITION. 



305 



accompanied by Shamil's representatives, Hadjio the 
steward, and Younous ; — the same Younous who at the 
siege of Ahoulgo, had given up to General Grrabbe the 
hostage of six years of age. With the above came 
Hassan and the interpreter Shah- Abbas. 

When the emissaries had been admitted to the pre- 
sence of Prince Chavchavadzey and Djemmal-Eddin, 
Younous said to the Prince, — 

"My sole object in coming here is to ascertain 
whether this young man is really the son of our great 
Iman. My commission does not extend beyond that." 

Prince Chavchavadzey, having introduced the emis- 
saries to Djemmal-Eddin, left them together to converse 
at their ease, Shah-Abbas remaining with them to 
interpret. 

The emissaries at once noticed the resemblance be- 
tween Djemmal-Eddin and Kazi-Machmat. They then 
began to question him as to what he recollected of his 
childhood before he was taken prisoner by the Eussians. 
The young man was a little perplexed, but he spoke of 
certain things which he remembered as if from a dream ; 
such as the position of Ahoulgo, his father riding on a 
white horse, and several other particulars which agreed 
with the truth. The emissaries were satisfied ; but 
in order to be thoroughly convinced of Djemmal- 
Eddin's identity, they wished for some positive evidence, 
and, with the view of obtaining it, bared his arm, to look 
for some traces of a wound which he had received when 
very young in a fall from a mill. The scar was visible 
enough ; and on perceiving it, Younous turned to Prince 
Chavchavadzey and said,— 

x 



306 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



" As you have delighted us by procuring the return 
of the son of our great Iman, so we can delight you by 
assuring you upon our honour that your family will 
very soon return to you." 

This terminated the conversation, and the next 
morning Shamil's messenger set off to Vedenno with a 
promise to return in three days' time. 

Considering the affair now settled, Prince Chavcha- 
vadzey and Baron Nicolai waited with a pleasurable 
excitement for the return of the messengers, who 
returned at the promised time — that is to say, on the 
24th of February. But, to the Prince's great astonish- 
ment, they produced a letter from Shamil in the follow- 
ing words : — 

" I am very much obliged to you for keeping your 
word respecting my son's return from Eussia ; but do not 
think that this will end the negotiations. You must 
remember that, besides my son, I require a million 
roubles and a hundred and fifty prisoners. These 
demands must be complied with, before I allow your 
family to return." * 

This letter, with its totally unexpected contents, was 
to the Prince like a thunderbolt. The shock was 
almost as great as when he first heard the news of the 
descent upon Tsenondahl ; but his presence of mind, 
which had never forsaken him since the beginning, 
did not desert him now. He remembered with whom 
he had to deal, and thinking it unnecessary to enter 

* There was no letter from the captives. The Princesses had refused 
to write at the dictation of Shamil's officers (Part II. chapter viiiA and 
the Iman had accordingly taken the negotiations into his own hands. 



INCREASED DEMANDS, 



307 



into any details with Shamil's messengers, informed 
them, with an appearance of calmness, that the answer 
was contained in a letter which he at the same time 
entrusted to them. 

The Prince's letter was as follows : — 

" I am in the highest degree astonished at your last 
letter, as I did not think you were capable of withdraw- 
ing your word after it had been once giyen. Eemember 
what you promised Prince Orbeliani and myself, through 
the interpreter Isaac Grramoff. Having considered the 
affair terminated, I cannot now sufficiently express 
my amazement at your fresh demands. For my part, I 
can only say one thing ; I have always been in the habit 
of keeping my word, and I will keep it now. I informed 
you in the first instance what ransom I could give, 
namely, forty thousand roubles; and I cannot add a 
copeiJc. When, without any resources of my own, I 
decided on borrowing this enormous sum, I only did so 
because I could not venture to reckon on the Emperor's 
gracious permission to allow your son to return to his 
native land. If I had been aware that that permission 
would be granted, I should not have offered you half 
the amount. I await your answer." 

This letter was the one which produced such un- 
pleasant results at Dargi-Vedenno, and which caused 
the threats to send the Princesses into the aoids. On 
receiving it from Prince Chavchavadzey's hands, the 
messengers lost no time in conveying it to Shamil. 

X 2 



308 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS, 



CHAP. IV. 

On Monday the first of March, Shamil's emissaries re- 
turned from Vedenno, bringing with them letters from 
the Princesses. 

u To-day," wrote the Princesses Orbeliani,* "they were 
going to distribute us among the Naibs. We thought we 
were lost ; but Kazi-Machniat, and the Moullas, asked 
Shamil to send Hassan and Mohammed to you for the 
last time." 

Prince Chavchavadzey's alarm and indignation at 
reading this were increased by the following communi- 
cation from Shamil, — 

" Your letter is far from satisfying my expectations, 
and I have therefore resolved to distribute your family 
among the different aouls. This would have been 
already done had it not been for my son, Kazi-Machmat, 
who has prevailed upon me to send to you once more to 
inquire whether you will make no addition to the sum 
originally offered." 

On reading this letter, not sorrow, but anger, took 
possession of the Prince. It was plain that Shamil was 
now persisting in his demands, not for the sake of re- 
maining firm to his first conditions, but simply with the 
view of getting something or other in addition to the 

* Both the letters from the Princesses have been already given in 
full. Part II, chapter viii. 



THE PRINCE INDIGNANT. 



309 



forty thousand roubles. He also understood that if he 
made the slightest concession, he should only lower 
himself in the eyes of the mountaineers and encourage 
them to advance further claims. All this passed rapidly 
through the Prince's mind, and he determined to give 
vent to all the feelings of anger, hatred, and scorn which 
he had until now had sufficient prudence to repress. 
He turned to ShamiFs agents and said, — 

" I have no wish to write to your Iman any more, and 
I shall not do so ; but you can tell him from me that 
long ago, on the banks of the Alazan, I took an eternal 
farewell of my family. I now trust them to the mercy 
of Grod. This is my determination, and these are my 
last words. If, on Saturday, you do not bring me the 
acceptance of my offer, I swear by the Creator, that on 
that day I leave Hassaff-Yourt and take Djemmal-Eddin 
with me. You may then follow me for twenty versts 
and beg me to return, but I shall take no notice of you, 
and you may do what you like with my family. Assure 
your Iman that I have always been grateful to him for 
his attentions to my family ; but that if he permits him- 
self to carry out his threat of sending them to the aouls, 
from the moment of their crossing the threshold of the 
room where they have hitherto been kept I renounce 
them." 

The Prince uttered this renunciation not only from 
the warmth of his own personal indignation, but also by 
way of informing the mountaineers that they had no- 
thing to gain by resorting to cruelty. 

66 1 wish for their return now," he continued, " be- 
cause I am aware that they have been honourably 

x 3 



310 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



treated ; but if they are made the slaves of your 
Naibs, I shall no longer recognise my wife as my wife, 
my sister as my sister, nor my daughter as my daughter. 
I repeat again that I give you until Saturday. On Sun- 
day you will find neither myself nor Djemmal-Eddin here. 
This is as true as that I am now standing before you ; 
and if, after I have fulfilled my threat, Shamil should 
offer to give me my family back for nothing, together 
with all the treasures he possesses, I swear by God 
that I will not receive them." 

With these words the Prince turned away, and wished 
to retire, but he was stopped by the Murids, who ad- 
vised him to write to Shamil in a letter all that he had 
said to them in words. 

" No," answered the Prince, " I shall not write. I 
am sorry that I have already wasted so much paper on 
a man who constantly breaks his word." 

The agents then asked the Prince to give them two 
or three days longer to get a decided answer from 
Shamil. The Prince would not listen to them, and was 
again going to leave the room when thev called him 
back, saying, 

i: There is another reason for delaying the affair," 
said one of them with considerable hesitation. 

" What is it ? " inquired the Prince. 

(: The Iman proposes that the Princess Chavchavadzey 
and her family should be liberated for the forty thou- 
sand roubles and his son Djemmal-Eddin; and that the 
Princess Orbeliani and her son should remain in capti- 
vity to be ransomed by Prince Gregory Orbeliani." 

Irritated beyond bearing by what had occurred 
before, the Prince now lost all self-command, and might 



WARMTH OF DJEMMAL-EDDIN. 



311 



have committed some dangerous piece of imprudence 
but for the presence of Baron Nicolai and Prince Bagra- 
tion, who fortunately restrained him, 

K Not only will I not leave my wife's sister/' answered 
the Prince, " but I will not even allow the youngest of 
my servants' children to be detained." 

Then Hassan turned to Djemmal-Eddin, who was 
present throughout the scene, and said to him, — 

" Don't be disturbed This is always the way with 
the mountaineers, but all will end well." When these 
words were translated to Djemmal-Eddin, he blushed 
with rage till the tears started from his eyes, and 
answered, — 

" I have nothing to be disturbed about. You know 
well enough at what age I was taken at Ahoulgo ; you 
yourselves gave me up to the Russians. I have for- 
gotten every one and every thing in my native land, and 
I repeat that I have nothing to fear. I return to you 
without any particular joy, and probably I should return 
to Russia without any particular despair, if circum- 
stances should only require it." 

Prince Bagration took Djemmal-Eddin by the hand, 
and tried to check him in his imprudent speech. 

" What are you saying ! " he exclaimed, but his words 
had no influence on the impetuous young man. 

" The devil take them ! Am I to stand on ceremony 
with them ? " he screamed, unable to contain his anger. 
But Baron Nicolai explained to him that his irrita- 
bility might have a bad effect on Prince Chavchavadzey's 
affairs, and he was at once silent. This terminated the 
interview, and Shamil's messengers retired. 

X 4 



312 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



We need scarcely say with what trembling impatience 
the Prince and his companions awaited Saturday, and 
in what a state of anxiety they passed Wednesday, 
Thursday, and Friday : for in case of Shamil persisting in 
his demands, Prince Chavchavadzey had now only to fulfil 
his oath and to abandon his family to their terrible fate. 

At last Saturday, the fifth of March, arrived. The 
Princess excitement had now reached the highest pitch, 
when at eleven in the morning he was informed that 
ShamiPs messengers were approaching. Three times he 
went to the door to meet them, but each time he re- 
turned, after reflecting that his eagerness could not 
but have a bad effect on people who have so much 
respect for calmness and solemnity of demeanour. At 
last the Prince leant against the mantelpiece, and re- 
solved to wait for the emissaries without moving from 
his position. By his side stood Baron Nicolai, and in 
another part of the room were Djemmal-Eddin and 
Grramoff. The messengers entered, and were drily but 
politely invited to sit down. They bowed and took 
their seats without a word. 

At last Hassan turned to Grramoff and said to him, — 

" If the Prince will allow me, I will speak." 

When Grramoff translated these words, Prince Chav- 
chavadzey said, half audibly, to Baron Nicolai, that they 
augured no good ; and that if the messengers had come 
with a favourable answer, they would not have com- 
menced by such a gloomy silence and ended with such 
a strange phrase. 

Then turning to Hassan, the Prince said, in a loud 
voice, — 



SHAMIL AND THE NAIB3. 



313 



a You remember our last conversation. If you have 
come to say that Shamil accepts all my conditions and 
has appointed the time and place of the exchange, 
then you may speak. Otherwise I beg of you to leave 
the room without saying a word." 

As if in answer to these words, Hassan, and with him 
all the rest, got up ; but having done so, they congra- 
tulated the Prince on the termination of the affair 
according to his own terms, and then communicated to 
him the following particulars. " When we returned to 
Vedenno," they commenced, " and gave your message 
to the Iman, Shamil assembled all the Naibs and old 
men, and showed them your last letter, while he at the 
same time made them acquainted with your final words. 

" 6 If you will not accept Prince Chavchavadzey's last 
condition/ he said, ( then you must take his family, 
and keep them yourselves. I do not wish them to remain 
any longer with me.' 

" Then the Naibs and the old men with one voice 
answered the Iman as follows, — - 

66 6 How is it possible to let your son remain in the 
hands of the Giaours ? We agree to everything, only that 
your son may return to you. Send the captives back, 
and take your son and the forty thousand roubles.' " 

Prince Chavchavadzey heard this result with delight ; 
but still maintained his appearance of indifference, and 
quietly asked when and where the exchange was to take 
place. 

" On that point Shamil said he would communicate 
with you by letter," answered the agents ; after which 
they retired with a bow. 



314 



CAPTIYITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



However, they did not leave Hassaff-Yourt, but re- 
mained there until the day of the exchange, to count 
the money, which, after much difficulty, had been nearly 
all obtained in silver, according to Shamil's request.* It 
had been determined to have the amount verified before- 
hand in order to avoid unnecessary delay after the pri- 
soners had arrived ; but it was no easy task for the 
mountaineers to count thirty-five thousand pieces of 
silver — the remaining five thousand having been for- 
warded to Hassaff-Yourt in gold. Hadjio, in spite of 
his high position, was engaged day and night like his 
companions, and he at length admitted that a million 
was a sum they would never have been able to count. 

It was remarked that the mountaineers were ex- 
ceedingly careful in counting the money, not, as they 
said, that they were afraid of the Eussians cheat- 
ing them, but that they were themselves afraid of 
defrauding the Eussians. They arranged the roubles 
in tens, and afterwards examined each pile with the 
greatest attention. This care did not arise from.honesty, 
but from a suspicion that the Eussians might have given 
them intentionally more than the sum agreed upon, 
with the view of making it the cause of a dispute while 
the exchange was going on. What is still more extra- 
ordinary, is the fact that this strange suspicion proceeded 
from Shamil himself; and it may be accepted as an 

* Shamil's agents at first wished to have the money in gold, and 
the Prince obtained gold pieces to the amount agreed upon. But 
afterwards Shamil thought the sum would look more imposing in silver, 
and Prince Chavchavadzey, after considerable trouble, obtained it in 

that metal. 



COUNTING OUT THE MONEY. 



315 



evidence of the wily and subtle disposition of the chief 
enemy of our peace in the Caucasus. 

The counting was brought to an end on Wednesday, the 
day before the one fixed for the exchange. The money 
was then placed in bags, which were sealed up by the 
agents and by Gramoff. 

In the meanwhile the Prince and all his friends had 
been in the highest spirits, with the exception of Djemmal- 
Eddin, who, as the important day approached, became 
more and more thoughtful. 

On Sunday the 6th, after a very pleasant dinner, the 
party were astonished by the information that a mes- 
senger from Shamil had arrived. Prince Chavehavadzey 
looked at Djemmal-Eddin, and exclaimed, with uneasi- 
ness, — 

(£ Is it possible there can be any further change in the 
conditions?" 

Djemmal-Eddin smiled bitterly, and answered, — 

"Why should it not be so? They gave you their 
word on the Shariat, and perhaps at present they wish 
to act according to the Adat." 

To explain this remark, it should be mentioned that 
the Caucasian mountaineers sometimes excuse themselves 
for breaking their promises by a pretended difference 
between the Shariat, which contains the sacred law, and 
the Adat, which is a book of customs. The Shariat 
contains the laws of the Koran, and the Adat the 
common local laws of the people. The former was 
introduced into the Caucasus with Mahometanism ; but 
the latter is far more ancient. In all parts where the 
religious form of government exists, as in the domains 



316 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



of Shamil, the Shariat is the principal source of law ; 
but with the other tribes, as, for instance, in the west of 
the Caucasian range, the Adat is the supreme authority. 

However, the messengers entered with a packet, con- 
taining a letter from the Princess Chavchavadzey, which, 
to the great joy of the Prince, merely informed him that 
Shamil wished matters to be brought to a conclusion as 
speedily as possible, and that the place proposed for 
the exchange was the old road on the banks of the 
Michik. The Prince accepted the place of rendezvous ; 
but, in spite of his great anxiety, could not hasten the 
day, as nothing could be done before the money was 
counted, and this, as we have already seen, occupied the 
agents until Wednesday. 

At last, on Wednesday, March 9th, Prince Chavchav- 
adzey, Baron Nicolai, and Djemmal-Eddin, with the 
money and a detachment of soldiers from the garrison 
of Hassaff-Yourt, set off, and towards evening arrived 
at the fortress of Kourinsk. From Kourinsk to the old 
road, where the exchange was to take place, was only four 
versts ; but it had been arranged that this distance should 
not be traversed until the next day, and in Kourinsk 
they remained for the night. About an hour after their 
arrival at the fortress, the Prince received another letter 
from his wife, dated from Maior-Toup, a mountain aoul 
on the other side of the Michik, and about ten versts 
from Kourinsk. The Princess informed him that she 
had arrived there in safety with her sister, the children, 
and all the other captives, and that she wished him to 
send her a watch for a Moulla who had on several occa- 
sions shown them great kindness. 



FRESH MESSENGERS. 



317 



It has been already stated that this watch was re- 
ceived and given to the Moulla of Andi, styled by the 
captives the " Benevolent." 

Prince Chavchavadzey was at the height of his 
happiness and scarcely knew how to wait for the next 
day, when suddenly, at eleven at night, the arrival of 
fresh messengers from Shamil was announced. The 
Prince opened the letter conveyed to him under the 
painful impression that some fresh delay was proposed ; 
and his uneasiness was increased by the Princess Or- 
beliani's short note, to the effect that Grramoff must 
come to them immediately, as Shamil wished to have a 
personal interview with him. 

" Can there be any new demands or difficulties ? " 
was the question with Prince Chavchavadzey and all 
his friends. None of them could imagine what Shamil 
wanted with Grramoff at such a late hour. 

Nevertheless it was necessary to comply with his 
request as soon as possible. But, in the meanwhile, 
Grramoff himself had to be consulted as to his setting 
off in the middle of the night on a journey which would 
be attended with some danger. The Prince found 
him with Hadjio, the steward, who was examining 
the money for about the hundredth time, informed him 
of Shamil's wish, and asked him whether he objected to 
travel at night through the dangerous territory he 
would have to traverse. 

Grramoff did not hesitate a moment. He drank a 
tumbler of punch, made the sign of the cross, and set 
off in company with Mohammed and the Murid who 
had brought the letter. 



318 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. V. 

As they rode along, Graraoff endeavoured to find out 
from the Miirid what Shamil really wanted; but he 
could gain no information from him, and could only 
imagine that one of the captives had been suddenly 
taken ill. It was only ten versts to Maior-Toup, but 
the night was so dark that the travellers frequently 
lost their road, and had much trouble in finding it 
again. They had also much trouble in fording the 
river Michik, and, finally, did not get to Maior- 
Toup before dawn. It was four o'clock when they 
arrived, and they at once directed their steps towards 
two huts, one of which was occupied by Shamil, the 
other by the captives. In the enclosure in front of the 
huts was a large fire, before which stood a crowd of 
Murids, who formed the Iman's guard for the night. 

"Hai! hai! who's there? v shouted the sentinels. 

"Isai Gramoff from Kourinsk," answered the in- 
terpreter, as he approached the fire to warm himself 
after his cold night's journey and to light his papiros* 
Shamil recognised his voice, and instantly summoned 
him to his presence. 

(xramoff entered the Iman's hut, and saw him half 



* The Russian cigarette. 



A SLEEPLESS NIGHT. 



319 



reclining: among the pillows on the carpet, in front of a 
blazing fire. He was countino; the amber beads of his 
rosary, and in this occupation passed the remainder of 
his sleepless night. By the side of Shamil slept the 
inseparable dreamy old man Ker-Effendi. and there was 
no one else in the room. 

" How ia your health, Iman? Is it possible that you 
are not yet asleep ? " 

** It is you have caused my sleeplessness. Why were 
vou so lon^ coming to mv invitation ?" 

" The night was dark, and we lost our way. What 
has happened, Iman? Are the Princesses well?"' 

" God be thanked, they are all well ; but I am angry 
with you. I began the affair with you, and with you 
I wish to finish it. You lived three weeks in Hassaff- 
Yourt, and did not come once to see me." 

This reproach was intended only as a compliment, and 
was accompanied by a gracious smile and an invitation 
to take a seat near the fire. The attendants were 
at the same time summoned and ordered to bring in 
tea. 

"Be quick!" exclaimed Shamil. "'for my Isai-Bek 
has been nearly frozen on the road. However." he 
continued, turning to Gramoff himself, "that is not of 
much consequence, for you have performed a good 
action, and God will reward you.'* 

When tea was brought in, Shamil continued : — 
" I wanted to see you, in the first place, in order to 
thank you for the services you have rendered me. I 
know all. You went to meet my son, were constantly 
with him, and behaved very well. Secondly, to-morrow 



320 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



is a great day for us. To-morrow we shall be at peace 
with the Russians ; and there must be no foul play. I 
must also tell you, that, according to our custom, a 
father ought not to go out to meet his son; but I 
am doing so in order to accompany my dear guests 
and at the same time to prevent all chance of disorder 
during the exchange. As soon as it is quite light, I 
shall call all the Naibs together, and inform them that 
not one of them is to step beyond the appointed 
boundary. When great persons are concerned, good 
faith cannot be too well observed. You can answer 
that all will be fair on the side of the Russians ?" 

" I will communicate your words to my superior 
officer, and you may rely upon it that all our proceed- 
ings will be conducted with a due regard to honour." 

A short silence ensued; but Gramoff felt certain 
that Shamil would soon turn to the subject which most 
interested him, and so it happened. The father began 
talking of his son. 

" What about my son ? Is he quite well ? n 

" Thank Grod, he is well." 

" I am told that he does not know a word of 
Tartar." 

" That is true ; but it is natural enough. He has lived 
so many years in Russia. You must not find fault with 
him on that account. When he has been with you 
some time, he will speak it again." 

" Believe me, I shall let him live just as he likes. 
Only let him live with me." 

Here another pause followed. 



shamil's hateed of orbeliani. 321 



Shamil, with his eyes half closed, gazed upon the fire, 
and remained lost in apparently agreeable thoughts, 
Gramoff at length said to him, 

" You do not intend to sleep then, Iman ? " 

66 No ; it interests me much more to talk with you. But 
perhaps you do not find it agreeable. Probably you are 
tired after your journey, and wish to sleep." 

• f No, Iman. I consider myself happy to have an op- 
portunity of conversing with so exalted a person." 

" I suppose Prince Chavchavadzey is expecting his 
family with impatience, especially now that we are so 
near one another." 

" And I think your anxiety to see your son must be 
equally great." 

" Yes, Isai-Bek, I confess that after his sixteen years' 
absence, I am very anxious indeed to see my son, so 
anxious that, as you see, I cannot sleep at night for 
thinking of him. Only let the affair be terminated 
without treachery." 

" Your mind may be quite at rest on that point." 

" I hope so. But I am angry with Prince Orbeliani, 
Why did he go away to Tiflis and leave all the trouble 
of the exchange to Prince Chavchavadzey ? He would 
not have done that if his own children had been 
in captivity." 

" You accuse him wrongfully. He left by command 
of his superior officer, and with us military duty takes 
precedence of every individual or family claim." 

Shamil did not appear to understand how the duty 
of a soldier could be superior to all other duties, and the 
point gave rise to a conversation which lasted some time. 

Y 



322 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



Shamil dismissed the subject of Prince Orbeliani, for 
whom he had evidently conceived a particular hatred, 
with the words : 

" However, I have got rid of one, and with Grod's 
help, I will free myself from Argoutinsky's pupil." 

He was alluding to Prince Argoutinsky Dolgorouky, 
who had been a very troublesome and dangerous neigh- 
bour to Shamil, as commander of the Eussian army of 
Daghestan, and the district of the Caspian. After the 
death of Prince Dolgorouky, that important post was 
confided to Prince Orbeliani.* 

" Isai-Bek, tell me now truly, upon your conscience, 
what is going on at Sebastopol ? " said Shamil, soon 
afterwards. 

" As before," said Grramoff. " They are firm on both 
sides, and the fighting goes on, the success being some- 
times on the part of the besiegers, sometimes on that of 
the besieged. Nothing decisive has yet taken place." f 

" It is a disgrace to them. In eight months three 
Tsars cannot take one fortress. After that I may be 
justly proud of holding out against the Eussian armies. 
But to tell the truth, it is not I that keep them off so 
much as the mud and the woods of Chechni and the 
rocks of Daghestan." , 

Shamil's conversation with Grramoff lasted until six, 
and turned chiefly upon political subjects, especially those 
connected with the Caucasus. 

Shamil gave his opinion of several of the Caucasian 

* This general commanded a successful expedition into Daghestan in 
the beginning of the present summer, 
f This was in March, 1855. 



SHAMIL ON RUSSIAN GENERALS. 



323 



generals. He did not conceal his hatred of those who 
had on various occasions dealt him severe blows, but at 
the same time did full justice to their military abilities, 
which he criticised with the eye of an experienced com- 
mander. Thus, for instance, he spoke of Prince Argou- 
tinsky Dolgorouky, Prince Gregory Orbeliani, Prince 
Bariatinsky, General Kastovsky, the late General Slept- 
soff and Baron Nicolai. Unfortunately Gramoff, fatigued 
by his journey and by his sleepless night, is unable to 
remember the details of this part of the conversation. 

Gramoff at last asked the talkative Iman to permit 
him to visit the Princesses. 

" Go," said Shamil, " but if they are asleep, do not 
wake or disturb them." Gramoff set off to the hut of 
the Princesses, which was at about thirty paces' distance 
from that of Shamil. As he approached, he met one of 
the Georgian servants, who was going for water. Seeing 
Gramoff, she turned back and hurried to inform her 
mistress of his arrival. 

On entering, Gramoff found the Princesses and the 
rest of the party already awake and dressed, but they 
were all sitting or lying on the floor, so that it was im- 
possible to take a step in any part of the room. Gramoff 
covered the hands of the Princesses with kisses, and 
could not restrain his tears at the sight of the children, 
who had become wretchedly thin.* 

"Make haste and prepare for your journey," he said 
to them ; " Shamil and his men are waiting, and the 
sooner you see Christian land the better." 

* GramofFs interview with the Princesses has already been described 
Part II. chapter X. 

Y 2 



324 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



" Good bye, Gramoff," said the Princesses, as he went 
away ; u believe us, we shall never forget your services." 

From the Princesses Gramoff went to Kazi-Machmat, 
and presented to him Djemnial-Eddin's compliments, 
for which he received the thanks of Shamil's heir. He 
then proceeded to Shaniil, who met him with the 
question, — 

" Have the Princesses already risen ? " 

" They are up and dressed," replied Gramoff. 

" Then hurry off to Kourinsk, and I will follow you 
directly with them/' 

Afterwards pointing to the Naib, by his side, he con- 
tinued, — 

"This man will go with you, and will show you 
where the exchange is to take place. I hope that after 
it is over you will come back to me with Djemmal- 
Eddin, and I will then tell you something, and thank 
you for all your trouble. 5 ' 

c - 1 am much obliged to you for your kindness. But 
I have forgotten to give you a message from Prince 
Chavchavadzey. Knowing that it is your custom to ex- 
press your joy on all important occasions by firing, he 
begs that you will issue orders that nothing of the kind 
be done to-day ; at all events, not until our people have 
passed the ridge on the other side of the road. This is 
necessary, in order to avoid all possibility of misunder- 
standing and disorder." 

"Very well ; but is there no chance of yours rejoicing 
and firing also ? " 

" No : we are in mourning for the death of our em- 
peror, and shall not have any rejoicings for six months." 



DEATH OF NICOLAS. 



325 



"Is your emperor dead?" exclaimed Shamil, evi- 
dently much struck by the intelligence. Then, after a 
few moments' reflection, he said, — 

£ Well, for such a great emperor, it would not be too 
much to wear mourning six years. However, a good 
father ought to leave a good son. Is his successor, 
Alexander, the one who was lately in the Caucasus ? " 

" The same," answered Grramoff. Shamil was again 
silent and thoughtful, but at last he said, — 

" Now, my son, this is no time for talking. Set off 
to Kourinsk, and hurry your people. I hope to see you 
at the place of exchange, and when they have all arrived 
there, come to me again, and receive your instructions 
from me personally." 

Gramoff bowed, and, accompanied by the Xaibs and 
several Murids, set off for the fortress of Kourinsk. 
They galloped the whole way, Grramoff being anxious to 
reassure Prince Chavchavadzey and Baron Nicolai as 
soon as possible. 

The Prince was waiting for them in the court-yard in 
front of his residence. 



Y 3 



326 



CAPTITITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



CHAP. VI. 

In one of the April numbers of the "Rousky Invalid/' 
of the year 1855, and afterwards in all the newspapers 
of the empire, appeared a complete account of the ex- 
change of the families of Flugel-adjutant Colonel Prince 
Chavchavadzey, and Major-general Prince Orbeliani. 
Certainly the whole of Russia must have read with 
interest the detailed description, which, in addition to its 
copiousness, possessed the advantage of being an official 
document, so that it was known to be correct in every 
particular. But, on the other hand, it was necessary in 
the official account, to omit some details of a private 
and personal character, — such, for instance, as the im- 
pressions produced by the scene on those who took part 
in it ; and these may with advantage be given here, not 
only for the sake of completing the official account, but 
also by way of showing in what a different light the 
same events may appear to different persons. 

As regards the first point, the writer would have 
begun by pointing out the inaccuracies in the official 
account, if any had really existed ; but as it is, he has 
only to adopt and then add to it. 

With respect to the second, he will first of all call 
attention to a small Grerman brochure * which appeared 

* K Ein Besuch bei Schamyl. Brief eines Preussen." 



"A VISIT TO SHAMIL." 



327 



in Berlin, and of which a Kussian version was printed in 
the KavJcas newspaper under the title of an " Interview 
with Shamil." This narrative of the exchange possesses 
both interest and originality, and we accordingly recom- 
mend it to the reader's attention. It will be found to 
contain some details which are not included in the present 
chapter ; but in spite of its general completeness we have 
still our task to perform, which consists in relating the 
particulars as they were communicated directly to us by 
the chief persons concerned. 

It may happen that our description will be found less 
complete and less interesting than the one to which we 
have just referred, inasmuch as the latter was written by 
a person who was in a position to take a calm, observant 
view of what was going on ; whereas our informants 
were too much affected by their own emotions to take 
much notice of the general scene. 

However, to begin with the arrival of Grramoff at Kou- 
rinsk, the Prince, as we have already said, was waiting to 
meet him in the court-yard. Both he and Baron Xicolai, 
who was with him, saw from GrramofFs eagerness and 
lively demeanour, that he was not coming from Maior- 
Toup with bad news. And they were soon assured that 
they were not mistaken; for Grramoff, getting off his 
horse, cried out,— 

"They are all well, and everything is right. Gret 
the soldiers out, and come to the place of exchange." 

On hearing this, Prince Chavchavadzey, Baron 
Xicolai, Djemmal-Eddin, and a detachment of soldiers 
left the fortress. They had to march several versts 
up a hill, until at last they reached the place where 

Y 4 



328 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



they were to halt. The Baron, the Prince, and Djein- 
mal-Eddin advanced by themselves to the summit 
of the hill, and discovered that Shamil's party had 
already arrived. On the other side of the river Michik, 
on a spacious plain close to the wood, were scattered 
numerous groups of Shamil's mountaineers. Several 
persons were at work at the ford, where the prisoners 
would have to cross. 

Grramoff was now sent off to Shamil to take his in- 
structions as to the mode of conducting the exchange, 
while the Prince and his brother-in-law were occupied in 
stationing the soldiers and preparing them for any emer- 
gency that might arise. Thus, for instance, they re- 
ceived particular instructions to be careful no musket 
went off, and the infantry were ordered to be ready at a 
moment's notice to rush to the ford, cross the Michik*, at 
the point of the bayonet, and commence firing. The 
officers were determined nothing should occur which 
could give the mountaineers the slightest cause for sus- 
picion, and also thought it necessary to take their pre- 
cautions against any possible treachery. Fortunately 
these latter measures proved quite unnecessary, nor was 
confidence endangered on either side by a single chance 
shot. 

In the meanwhile Grramoff approached Shamil and 
found him sitting on the grass beneath a large black 
Nankeen parasol which was held above his head by one 
of his Murids. Sometimes he w r ent upon his knees in 
order to get a better view through his telescope which 

* The banks of this river were the scene of a desperate battle between 
the Russians and the mountaineers in July (1857). 



THE EXCHANGE. 



329 



was resting on a three-legged stool and pointed in the 
direction of the Eussians. On the right of Shamil sat 
Daniel-Sultan; and behind them, in perfect silence, 
stood the cavalry to the number of five thousand. By 
the side of the cavalry were the arbas, in which sat the 
captives beneath their veils. 

Grramoff dismounted when he was within a few paces 
of Shamil, and his horse was instantly taken from him 
by the Iman's attendants. 

Grramoff approached with a salute, and said, — 
" Iman, what further orders am I to receive from your 
highness ? " 

" Take with you, and lead to about a quarter of a mile 
on the other side of the Michik, thirty- five men from my 
army, the captives, and my sons Kazi-Machmat and 
Machmat-Shabi ; and from your side let some one come 
to meet them with my son Djemmal-Eddin, the money, 
and thirty-five soldiers." 

" You have no further orders ? " 

" No ; but do not forget, when all is terminated, to 
come back to me." 

Grramoff set off with the arbas, sixteen Cfeorgian men*, 
and thirty-five chosen Murids, with Kazi-Machmat at 
their head. Having reached the appointed place, Kazi- 
Machmat and the Murids stopped with the arbas while 
Grramoff galloped off to the Russian detachment, from 
which Prince Chavchavadzey, Baron Nicolai, and Djem- 
mal-Eddin now advanced with thirty-five carbineers, 
two carts containing the money, and sixteen Lesghian 
prisoners. 

* Sent to be exchanged against a similar number of Lesghians. 



330 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS. 



As the Prince gradually approached he perceived the 
arba in which his family were seated, and heard the 
voices of his daughters, who exclaimed — 

" Look, mamma ! there is papa on a white horse.'' 

In the meanwhile Kazi-Machmat and his Muriels had 
advanced and concealed the arbas from the Prince's 
view ; and at the same time one of the party — it was 
the benevolent Moulla — took little Alexander in his 
arms and carried him to his father. In a few seconds 
the rest of the children were brought to him. 

The Prince dismounted, pressed his children to his 
breast, and was proceeding towards the arbas, when he 
found himself face to face with Kazi-Machmat. Joy, 
anger, and revenge were now agitating his heart, but 
he endeavoured not to betray his feelings by any outward 
manifestation. Kazi-Machmat, pale and confused, like 
all his companions, addressed the Prince as follows 
through his interpreter. 

" The Iman gave me orders, Prince, to inform you 
that he took as much care of your family as if it had 
been his own ; and that if the captives suffered any dis- 
comfort with us it did not arise from any intention on 
our part to annoy them, but from our ignorance how to 
behave towards such women and from our want of 
means." 

The Prince answered — - 

" Of the Iman's constant attention to my family, I 
have long been made aware by the letters of my wife 
and her sister ; and in writing to him I have more than 
once had occasion to express my gratitude for it. I now 
request you to present to him yourself my sincere thanks." 



BARON NICOLAl's SWOED. 



331 



" Through Isai-Bek," continued Kazi-Machmat, "you 
requested the Iman to prevent any firing on the part of 
our army in honour of my brother's return. The Iman 
promises that your request shall be attended to ; but he 
also begs that you will take the same precaution, so as 
not to frighten the Princesses and their children." 

The Prince now approached the captives, but could 
not distinguish them, as their faces were concealed by 
the veils. Neither the Prince nor the captives uttered 
a word, but remained as if spell-bound. 

In the meanwhile Djemmal-Eddin was embracing his 
brother, and taking farewell of the Russian officers. 
Baron Xicolai presented him with his own sabre, and 
said, with a smile, — 

" Don't cut at any of our people with it." 

" Neither yours nor ours," answered the young man 
as he accepted it, nearly overcome by emotion. 

Then Djemmal-Eddin, Kazi-Machmat, the Murids, 
the exchanged Lesghians, the arbas with the money, 
Gramoff, two Russian officers, and two Younkers, directed 
their steps towards the Michik, and were soon after- 
wards lost sight of in the crowd of mountaineers ; while 
Prince Chavchavadzey, Baron Nicolai, and the liberated 
captives remained at the place of exchange. The Prin- 
cesses threw off their veils, and at that solemn moment 
neither they nor the Prince could find words to express 
their feelings. A kind of stupor had been produced, 
and they now stood in presence of one another as if 
they had parted only the day before, instead of having 
been separated by a terrible captivity of eight months' 
duration. 



332 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



After the most ordinary salutations had been ex- 
changed, the Prince gave one arm to his wife and the 
other to the Princess Orbeliani, and led them to the 
carriages. On the road, and even after their arrival in 
Kourinsk, the same species of stupor continued on each 
side for some time ; that is to say, until after they had 
all joined in thanksgivings, when the Prince and his 
family were left by themselves, and could give expres- 
sion, unobserved, to all their rapture. We do not pre- 
tend to describe this scene. We may, however, mention 
one or two points connected with the Princesses' re- 
storation to happiness. 

At the termination of the thanksgiving service in the 
church of the fortress the captives received the holy 
bread*, and were deeply affected, so long had they been 
precluded from taking any part in the ceremonies of 
their religion. 

At dinner the Princesses absolutely cried when they 
observed with what foresight all their wants were anti- 
cipated by the Prince, and the others who were present, 
— so little had they been accustomed of late to attention 
of any kind. 

The papirosses which were lighted after dinner, 
threw them into ecstacies, so new and so delightful did 
each, even the most trifling, habit of their former life 
appear to them. 

* The small loaves, from which the priest cuts the symbolic triangular 
notches of bread used in the sacrament, are afterwards distributed in the 
church. 



A CHANGE OF COSTUME. 



333 



EPILOGUE. 

We cannot bring our story to a conclusion without 
giving some account of the last journey of the devoted 
Grramoff to Shamil, and adding a few more details 
respecting the first moments which followed the captives' 
liberation ; besides which something remains to be said 
about the secondary characters of the drama. 

These particulars we must group together in the form 
of an epilogue. 

After crossing the Michik, Djemmal-Eddin, Grramoff 
and the rest of the party were surrounded by a crowd 
of curious but respectful mountaineers, who were eager 
to behold the eldest son of their Iman. Several of them 
kissed his hands. 

About twenty paces from where Shamil w T as standing, 
Djemmal-Eddin was met by the steward Hadjio, who 
held in his hand a bundle containing a mountaineer's 
costume, and said Ctf that the Iman did not wish to see 
his son in any but his native dress." 

When Grramoff interpreted this to Djemmal-Eddin, 
the young man could not refrain from exclaiming,— 

" What a strange thing to require ! How am I to 
change my dress here ? I can be seen from the other 
side, where the ladies are." 

" It is nothing," said Grramoff. " We will go over 
there under the tree ; and you can undress yourself 
without observation." 

There was no alternative. Gframoff and the others 



334 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



rode to the trees, and formed a circle around Djernmal- 
Eddin, who a quarter of an hour afterwards appeared at 
their side in a beautiful mountaineer's costume, with 
arms to match. The latter were either mounted in 
silver, or richly gilt ; and a horse with equally magnificent 
caparisons was waiting close by. Djemmal-Eddin sprang 
upon the horse, and proceeded slowly towards his father, 
accompanied by his conductors. When they were at 
about ten paces from Shamil, they all dismounted. 
Djemmal-Eddin approached, bowed, and was received 
into the embrace of his father, who remained sitting. 

Shamil held his son some time in his arms, and was 
evidently much affected, for the tears flowed in streams 
down his face and beard. 

After the first few moments of joy, the Iman turned 
to those around him, and said with much feeling, — 

" I thank Grod for preserving my son, the Emperor 
for permitting his return, and the Princes for having 
solicited him to do so. And I thank you, Isai Grramoff," 
he added, " for your good services." 

Then noticing the officers and Younkers by Grramoff's 
side, he inquired who they were. 

Grramoff, in his excitement, had scarcely observed 
their presence ; but he now informed Shamil that they 
were Baron Nicolai's aides-de-camp, who had accom- 
panied Djemmal-Eddin in order to present him with 
becoming respect to his Iman. 

"I thank them," replied Shamil. "I thought dif- 
ferently of the Russians ; but at present I have my own 
opinion of them." 

The officers asked Djemmal-Eddin if they might take 
farewell of him in the Russian style. 



DJEMMAL-EDDIXS FAREWELL. 



335 



"Why not?" answered Djemmal-Eddin as he em- 
braced them. 

At this scene Shamil again shed tears ; and — perhaps 
with a view to remove the bad impression which might 
be produced upon his subjects by this intimacy of his 
son with the Giaours — remarked, as he turned towards 
those who surrounded him, — 

" They were my son's dearest friends." 

He then rose and took a friendly farewell of the officers, 
while Kazi-Machmat ordered a hundred Murids to con- 
duct the Eussians back to their detachment. Shamil, how- 
ever, retained Gramoff by his side, and said to him, — 

"My dear Isai-Bek, I value your services most 
highly. My children and all my family will ever re- 
member them. If you, or any of your relatives should 
fall into our hands, know that you will instantly be 
free. I say this in the presence of my chief Naibs. At 
present I have nothing with me to offer you in remem- 
brance of me ; but I will send you something, which I 
hope you will accept. 55 

Soon afterwards Shamil fulfilled this promise by 
sending Gramoff a watch set in diamonds, and a magni- 
ficent chain, the whole present being worth about 600 
roubles (100?. sterling). 

Gramoff bowed and was about to take his departure. 
Djemmal-Eddin then embraced him and desired him to 
remember him to all his friends at Kourinsk, and to 
thank them for their kind hospitality. He also com- 
missioned him to express his regret to Prince Gregory 
Orbeliani, that he had not had the pleasure of making 
his acquaintance. 

Gramoff, accompanied by several of the oldest Murids 



336 



CAPTIVITY m THE CAUCASUS, 



went towards the Eussian detachment, which they came 
up with at about half a verst from Kourinsk. He con- 
gratulated the Prince and Princesses on their happy 
reunion, and received the expression of their gratitude for 
his sincere and earnest exertions, not only on the part of 
themselves, but also on behalf of their children, their 
grandchildren, and all their descendants. Gramoff 
could only answer that he had merely performed his 
duty as a Christian. 

Afterwards Grramoff received a formal letter of thanks 
from the Princes, containing their testimony to the 
valuable services he had performed. This document 
was as follows : — 

" In the year 1855, on the second day of April, we 
the undersigned, Lieutenant-General Prince Gregory 
Demetrieff* the son of Orbeliani, and Colonel Prince 
David Alexandroff f, the son of Chavchavadzey, give 
the present document to the Younker Isai Gramoff of 
the town of Shoushi, in token of memorable services 
rendered by him to us. 

" The above services were as follows : — 

"In the month of July 1854, during the incursion of 
the mountaineers into Kahetia, under the command of 
Shamil, the widow of the brother of the first of the 
undersigned, that is to say, of the late Major-General 
Prince Eli Orbeliani, with her son George and her 
niece the Princess Xina Baratoff ; and the wife of the 
second of the undersigned, with four little children, were 
made prisoners. 

" During the captivity of these our families, we found 
it necessary to send to the mountaineers a confidential 
* Son of Demetrius. f Son of Alexander. 



TESTIMONIAL TO GRAMOFF. 



337 



agent, to explain to them the utter impossibility of comply- 
ing with their demands for the liberation of our captive 
relatives, and to induce them to alter their conditions. 

" Isai Grramoff, who was at that time attached to the 
first of the undersigned in the capacity of interpreter, 
volunteered to undertake the above mission, set off 
alone through a hostile territory, arrived in Dargo, had 
several explanations with Shamil and other moun- 
taineers of importance on the subject of our affair, and 
persisted with so much firmness in contradicting their 
errors that at last he brought them to accept the terms 
which before his visit they had obstinately rejected. 

" Thus Grramoff's journey to the mountains was one of 
the chief causes of the successful termination of the nego- 
tiations for the liberation of the captives, after which he 
again set off, and returned with them to our boundaries. 

" During these journeys through the enemy's coun- 
try, Gramoff of his own free will risked his life among 
the mountaineers, who are notorious for their treachery, 
and their readiness to rob and murder whenever they 
can do so with impunity. 

" Such services are beyond reward, and we present 
this document to our esteemed Isai Grramoff as a token 
that his great devotion and self-sacrifice will never 
be forgotten by us, and that not only ourselves but also 
our descendants will always be grateful for them. 

(Signed) u Lieutenant-Greneral Prince Oebeliani, 
" Colonel Pkince David Chavchavadzey, 

" Flugel- Adjutant to his Imperial Majesty." 

This document, together with the sincere friendship - 
of all the Chavchavadzey family, are valued by Grramoff 

% 



338 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



far more than all the objects presented to him as marks 
of their gratitude for his services. Before returning to 
Temir-Han-Shoura, where he is now occupied by the 
duties of the service, he accompanied the Princesses to 
Tifiis, and had the honour of being presented to the 
Governor-General. 

As for the captives themselves, their first impulse was 
to turn to Heaven with gratitude, prayer and thanks- 
givings. At Tiflis as at Kourinsk, the first place they 
stopped at was the door of the church ; indeed to visit 
the local relics, the Hill of St. David, and other holy 
places inside and outside the town, seemed for some 
time to be the only object of their journey. Their next 
wish was to present their thanks to the chief earthly 
cause of their deliverance. But he had already ceased 
to be of this world, and accordingly they expressed 
their gratitude to his august successor, the present 
Emperor Alexander Nicolaievitck. 

The following were the letters addressed to his Majesty 
by Prince Chavchavadzey and the Princess Orbeliani: — 

PRINCE CHAVCHAVADZEY TO HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY 
ALEXANDER NICOLAIEVITCH. 

" Most Gracious Sovereign, " March 10. 1855. 

" To-day, through the kindness of the Emperor 
Nicolai Paulovitch, now sleeping in God, my family has 
returned to me after eight months' grievous captivity. 

" It did not please Heaven to give me the happiness 
of expressing my deep and sincere gratitude to my late 
benefactor ; but, Sire, it will not cease to exist either in 
me or in my children. Myself, my wife, and all my 
family will pray to God to give me and my sons 



LETTERS TO THE EMPEROR. 



339 



strength to serve your Majesty, in return for the kind- 
ness and beneficence of your truly-faithful parent." 

PRINCESS ORBELIANI TO HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY. 

" August Monarch, 

" My son and myself are liberated, are saved. 
In these words, Sire, are contained all the feelings of a 
mother who during eight months' insupportable captivity 
trembled every moment for the life of her only son. 
These words can alone express to you, Gracious Monarch, 
how fervent must be my thanksgivings to the Most High, 
and how sincere and profound must be my gratitude to 
our common father, now sleeping in Grod, the Emperor 
Nicolai Paulovitch. If the premature death of my 
husband has prevented him from serving your throne 
in return for the numerous favours which were showered 
upon him, and which since his death have been extended 
to me in the most bitter moments of my life, then, Sire, 
to his son is reserved that enviable fate, and it will be 
my most sacred duty to pray for strength to make my 
infant the worthy servant of your Imperial Majesty. 

" March 12, 1855." 

After the necessary delay, the Princess Orbeliani had 
the honour of receiving, through the Minister of War, 
the following rescript from his Imperial Majesty : — 

" Princess Varvara Elinichna, 

" Your expressions of gratitude to my ever-me- 
morable * parent have deeply affected me. The libe- 

* Nezabvenny, an epithet always applied to Nicolas since his death, 
as Alexander was called Blagoslavenny (the blessed), 

z 2 



340 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



ration from captivity of yourself and family was the 
object of his earnest wishes; but it did not please God 
to fulfil them until after his death. Consoled by the 
thought that the measures indicated by him had the 
desired result, it gives me great pleasure to assure you 
of the sincere joy with which I heard of your return 
from the mountains. In the hope that the Most High 
will reward you for all the difficult trials you have suf- 
fered, by developing in your son those lofty qualities 
which distinguish the noblemen of Georgia, I remain 
for ever, your well-disposed, „ Aleiajtoee." 

It would be difficult to ^describe the joy which was 
caused throughout Georgia, and especially in Tiflis, by 
the news of the Princesses' liberation, and their return 
to the capital of their native land. The excitement can 
only be compared to that which had been produced 
eight months before by the news of their captivity. 

The delight of the inhabitants at the deliverance of 
the Princesses was increased by their appreciation of the 
kindness with which the Imperial hand had been extended 
to two of the families of orthodox and faithful Georgia.* 
As an illustration of this feeling, and also of the general 

* The Church and State of Georgia were united with those of Russia 
in 3 801. "When the Church of Georgia, now only a short time back, 
became an integral portion of the Russian Church and Empire, after 
having stood alone, cut off and isolated from all other churches ever 
since the fourth century, there was not found to have arisen in the course 
of fifteen hundred years any the slightest difference between them in 
doctrine, no, nor even in ceremonies ; but they agreed in all points 
with us and with the other CEcumenical Thrones of Constantinople? 
Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, and with the Churches dependent 
upon the first of these in Moldavia, Wallachia, Servia, Montenegria* 
Transylvania, Illyria, and, in a word, through all Sclavonia." — Mou- 
ravieffs History of the Russicm Church. 



THE CAPTIVES AT CHURCH. 



341 



sympathy felt in the fate of the Princesses, we cannot 
do better than publish a letter which fell accidentally 
into our hands, written by a young Georgian to his 
friends in the country, on the subject of the Princesses' 
arrival in Tiflis. 

" On the 23rd April, the fete of the Victory-bearing 
George, saint and martyr, there are usually large num- 
bers of devout persons in the church of Saint George of 
Kashvet; but this year more were congregated there 
than ever, and the result was a scene of an extraordinary 
and affecting nature. Before the commencement of the 
service entered Shamil's captives, who had just been 
liberated, through the kindness of the late Emperor, from 
the cruel hands of the savage enemy of Eussia; the 
widow of the late General Prince Eli Orbeliani, and the 
wife of the Flugel- Adjutant Colonel Prince Chavcha- 
vadzey. The former entered the church with a baby in 
her arms, a beautiful and interesting infant, just what 
you may imagine a child of the purest descent. With 
the Princesses were the women who had shared their 
captivity, their privations, and their sufferings, and who 
had remained faithful to them throughout. 

" I saw them all, and was a witness of the touching 
scene which followed. The liberated captives had scarcely 
entered the church, when they were surrounded by all the 
congregation. The peasants kissed their hands and fell 
at their feet, while others could not restrain their tears. 

66 In the midst of this emotion I could not help being 
affected by it, and I then tried to give myself an account 
of the ideas it called forth. Such, I reflected, is the 
effect of a scene which not more than half a century 
ago was of common occurrence with our fathers. 



342 



CAPTIVITY IN THE CAUCASUS. 



" Our illustrious commander and king, Eracli, in- 
flicted severe chastisements on the Lesghians, but could 
not oppose them on all occasions with equal success, 
though he always found time to bring back to their 
native land those who were unfortunate enough to fall 
into their hands. And at present ? . . . . At present 
Eussia, with her great monarchs, and her powerful 
armies, generously protects us from our hostile neigh- 
bours. At present, instances of successful invasion and 
plunder are seldom heard of ; and if they do sometimes 
happen, then that all-powerful help and co-operation 
is afforded which lately procured the liberation of 
the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the last 
Georgian king. 

" We may be told that with such protection there 
ought to be an end to those disasters which at one time 
were constantly occurring in Georgia. We can only 
reply to this that the protection of Eussia is a great 
and unexampled benefit, and that great things cannot be 
thoroughly accomplished all at once. And may not the 
successful attack upon Kahetia be looked upon as an 
instructive lesson, — reminding us of the former suffer- 
ings of Georgia, and of the guardianship to which it is 
indebted for the security it at present enjoys ? 

"For all these benefits let us thank Heaven! and 
let us be grateful to Eussia ! And may these feelings 
be sanctified by the Patron-Saint of Georgia, the Vic- 
tory-bearing George, whose fete we celebrate to-day, to 
the glory and success of the Eussian arms." 

The liberated families remained more than a month in 
Tiflis, in the full enjoyment of domestic repose, after 
their eight months' constant suffering. At the same time 

~2 



Russia's protection of Georgia. 



343 



they had to prepare for their journey to St. Petersburg!} 
and Moscow, where fresh duties summoned them. They 
were hurrying to St. Petersburgh in order to assure the 
Emperor personally of their unbounded gratitude, and 
to Moscow in order to comfort and soothe their mother 
Anastasia, Princess of Georgia, after all the grief she 
had suffered. 

Both the families left Tiflis for a considerable time on 
the loth of June. The prisoners from the village of Tsen- 
ondahl have long since returned to their homes and to 
their occupations ; but the chateau remains a black and 
dismal ruin, a sad memento of one of the most terrible 
episodes of the Caucasian war. 

The centenagenarian Marina Gamdeli, who had 
resided in it since its erection, did not long survive 
its destruction. 

The Princess Tinia Orbeliani and Captain Achverdoff, 
who were so miraculously saved, all the children with 
the exception of Lydia, and all the servants except the 
devoted Nina, who, in spite of every exertion to save her, 
was detained in the aoul of Dido, are alive and well. 

Madame Drancey, who set off with Prince Chavcha- 
vadzey's family to Moscow and St. Petersburg!^ has no 
wish to return to the Caucasus, but intends going to 
Paris, where she will write and publish to the world 
recollections of her captivity with Shamil, under the 
title of Huit Mois de Captivite dans la Schamylie (!). 

Probably that work will meet with great success in 
Europe ; but, to our great regret, it is still more probable 
that it will circulate fresh errors respecting Eussia in 
general, and the Caucasus in particular. 

The most interesting observations about the Caucasus 



3U 



CAPTIVITY EN THE CAUCASUS. 



that can be imagined, would be those of Djernmal-Eddin, 
if from want of occupation he should think of writing 
them down and would narrate with perfect sincerity the 
changes which mark the transformation of a European 
into a Caucasian mountaineer — a fate which; alas, 
inevitably awaits him. 

From recent information, it appears that he has 
already accomplished a journey round and through the 
territory over which his father reigns. On his return 
to Dargi-Yedenno, he married the daughter of the 
celebrated Xaib Talgik, and he has since taken upon 
himself (with the assistance and guidance of the Moullas) 
the superintendence of the administration and of judicial 
proceedings. In military affairs he never interferes. He 
is allowed to write occasionally to his friends in Kussia, 
upon the condition that his letters are not long. From 
some of these letters we have ascertained that the 
mountaineers continually assure him he was very for- 
tunate to get away from Russia. Djemmal-Eddin does 
not believe this ; but he remains silent, and remembers 
the Russian proverb, " If you live with wolves, you 
must howl with them." Kazi-Machmat watches the 
occupations of his brother with a childlike interest, and 
has an evident respect for his education and European 
habits, which are said to form the object of his secret 
imitation. May it be attended with success ! 



THE END. 



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